Fun is impossible without volunteers
Last weekend, I walked a marathon for Prostate Cancer UK on Sunday and on Saturday I was honoured to be part of an eight-man crew rowing up the Thames in the Great River Race.
Most people will have seen the men’s Oxford and Cambridge boat race on TV where two sleek boats of eight fit, strong, young men take each other on over the four-mile course.
Well this is nothing like that. The Great River Race has around 200 boats that are generally wide, not sleek, with a fixed bench, not a sliding seat, and the course is 22 miles not four.
In our case if it hadn’t been for my 18-year-old son, the average age of our crew would be 55 and most of those weighed over 16 stone.
We took just over three hours in our boat, One in Eight, and though blisters and aching backs were inevitable, we all felt privileged to row through the heart of London in such an amazing race.
Although we were by no means fast, it was inspiring to see 1st Cuddington (Warspite), the Sea Scout Group where I learnt to row in my early teens, racing five boats in the event.
For them the race is harder as their boats are heavier and wider, but as we passed the school-aged boys and girls we could see the effort on their faces mixed with smiles that put us to shame. Their time was nearer four hours, but they all finished before the tide turned having achieved something amazing.
Our boat, plus the five sea scout boats, didn’t just turn up at the start at Greenwich. Volunteers from the Scouts towed them 30 miles overnight just so that we all could have our fun the next day.
So whilst we all raised funds for Prostate Cancer UK and the Scouts received accolades and certificates for completion, the unsung heroes as ever were the volunteers in the background who made the event possible for us.
I hope that you too recognise volunteers who make your world a better place and in turn, when you get your chance, do your bit too. Because without the giving there can be no receiving!
The effort on their faces mixed with smiles put us to shame
“I also had excellent support as my senior school had an additional resource centre. From Year 8, when I transitioned back into school, I had access to a teaching assistant in every lesson, but this was due to an EHCP [Educational Health and Care Plan] already in place,” he says. But it was hard-fought. “My mum and the school had to fight the local authority to secure an EHCP,” he says. “The first application in Year 1 was denied. After collecting more evidence for a second attempt, it was granted in Year 2.
“Unfortunately, some parents don’t realise they can reapply,” adds Mikey, who was discharged from speech and language therapy at 15 after being informed his speech was “as good as it’s going to get”.
“With continued hard work, my speech has improved, but it’s not easy. I fight every day to overcome anxiety and make myself speak. Making small talk is tricky, as is processing and word finding, especially when I am put on the spot. Talking on the phone is also difficult because I can’t read a person’s face,” reveals Mikey, who works as an Early Years Educator, and was picked to be a baton bearer for the Commonwealth Games last year.
“But I know if I hadn’t received the speech therapy or the support in my education, I would not be where I am today. My speech would not be as clear and I wouldn’t have the confidence to share my story.
“I want people to understand that CAS is a life-long neurological speech disorder. Children with CAS grow up to become adults with CAS – it just evolves and presents itself differently.
“These children deserve access to the speech therapy they so desperately need. There is a long way to go, so the fight goes on.”