Early on the morning of Saturday 16 September, when it was still dark, 55 members of the Boat Club, including some recent leavers, made their way to Radley to begin their Spon sored Row – an event that last took place four years ago. Just after sunrise, three Octos and three VIIIs pushed off from Radley College Boathouse and began to negotiate the 35 miles and 10 locks back to Blue Coat.  Many of the crews swapped around positions during the  row, with varying success, including all 6′ 8″ of Ben Freeman squeezing into the coxing seat at one point!

Many of the parents had been organised to meet and help at the various locks along the way, often providing much needed ‘morale’ in the form of sandwiches, cakes, flapjacks, etc. The support from friends and family, as well as many members of staff, grew along the way; it was almost like a riverside festival at Goring lock!

We were tremendously lucky with the weather all day, and arrived back at Blue Coat just after  4pm. It was not only a great physical achievement for all the rowers, but also a mental one as it takes great resilience to cover some of the long stretches in the second half of the day when many individuals experience highs and lows. To date, the club has raised over £4500 for both CLIC Sargent and the Boat Club, and there are more funds coming in. A big thank you to all the staff involved in transporting, encouraging, and supporting throughout the day and the run-up to the event. And a huge congratulations to everyone for completing the challenge and raising such a large amount of money.

Mr Edmondson, Head of Rowing