Ken Fowler

[p]One day you have this crazy idea to sail a dinghy about the size of two bath tubs from one end of the UK to the other. You then wonder is it possible? A bit of research and you find that only one person has ever successfully achieved it in the past - but it took them 64 days! So now we have a challenge - make this epic solo journey in a smaller boat and do it faster (because you can't have that amount of time off work!). [/p][p]If you wanted to summarise this challenge in one sentence try: [/p][p]"20-30 days of solo sailing, 8-10 hours a day, for 900 plus miles with big seas, wild coastline, remote landing sites, whirlpools and ripping tides - all in a small bit of plastic with a sail attached."[/p][p]After reading that you might question my sanity so why am I attempting this crazy challenge? [/p][p]My father died from cancer when I was only 24. He was one of six siblings, five of whom died from cancer. My mother looked after him for months - a hard time for them both, before he was admitted to our local hospice. The care he recieved there was amazing and made my father's last days as pain free and comfortable as they could be. After his death I discovered that when he was quite young he had come home to discover his mother dead after she had gassed herself using an oven. She had been diagnosed with cancer, in an era when it was effectively a death sentence and she felt unable to deal with life with cancer. I cannot imagine the impact that must had upon him.[/p][p]I think that is the the thing about cancer, it touches us all in some way or another. That is why I am raising money for the excellent work that Cancer Research and our local Oakhaven Hospice do. [/p][p]Choosing a target for how much money to raise is always difficult. You want to raise as much as possible, but don't want to aim for a figure that is unrealistic. In choosing the traget for this challenge I was hit by the the statistics that 50% of people born after 1960 will get Cancer at some time in their life and that 50% of those people will now survive longer than 10 years after a Cancer diagnosis. So that's why my fundraising target is £50,000. I know it is a big one, but hopefully with your kind generosity we can reach this goal and make a real difference in the fight against cancer.[/p][p]Thank you for taking the time to read about "my story" and I hope it gives you a better understanding of why I'm taking on this epic challenge and why the execellent causes I'm raising money for need your kind support.[/p][p]Every donation large or small is greatly appreciated.[/p][p]Thank you so much and wish me luck (I'll need it!)[/p][p][br][/p][vmgvideo class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7dIw0U4WJ2I?showinfo=0&rel=0&iv_load_policy=3"][/vmgvideo]