6 Days, 137 Miles, 166 Locks, 100 000 paddle strokes – Bentley Graduates Go the Distance
Crewe, 17th September 2010
Bentley’s charity kayak team arrived at Little Venice (London) on Thursday 9th September after enduring 6 days of extreme physical pressure.
The 6 strong team met in Birmingham on Saturday 4th September to commence the 137 mile journey down the Grand Union Canal. The team faced gale force winds, heavy rain, thunderstorms and burning sunshine on their quest to reach London. Not finishing until 20:30 on the first day meant that it became necessary to get up at 6:00 every morning to ensure that they were on the canal by 8:00 to meet their tough schedule.
The kayakers paddled in teams of three, completing half of the day each. This accumulated to around 5 hours on the water and approximately 18,000 strokes of the paddle a day. Towards the end of the trip, suffering from aching muscles, cut knuckles and fatigue, it was the sheer determination not to let their sponsors down that gave them the final push they needed.
On Thursday 9th September the graduates finally made it to Little Venice and battled through the afternoon London traffic to reach the Jack Barclay dealership where they were greeted by a well deserved champagne reception hosted by Bentley colleagues. Margret Cheshire, head of people and organisation development, commented “At Bentley, our graduates are continuously raising money for the Prince's Trust in a variety of innovative and exciting ways. This kayaking trip has seen them push themselves to the absolute limit and we are incredibly proud of their achievement."
To date, the team have raised over £1700 of their £2500 target. All money raised will go to the Prince’s Trust, supporting 14-30 year olds who have struggled in school, are in long term unemployment or have been in care. Should you wish to offer a donation, please do so at www.justgiving.com/bentleykayaktrek.
For further information please contact Nicola Slater on 01270 656770.
