Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race

Mike Roddy and Paul Henshaw have entered the Devizes to Westminster 2015 kayak race and will attempt to complete the whole 125 mile course non-stop, starting on Saturday 4th April.

We will be raising sponsorship money for Mind the Gap (MtG), a life changing charity housing orphaned children in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

What connects Devizes, Westminster and Zimbabwe?

In 2007 Jenny Hensman set up MtG, a charity in Bulawayo aimed at helping children who are orphaned or abandoned with the intention of giving them a Forever Home - somewhere they can call home for as long as they need. Jenny has been linked with the Tavistock Methodist Church for a number of years. Mike lives in Tavistock and became inspired by MtG through the church.

MtG started with just one home but quickly grew to two. For some years Jenny has had the vision of buying a farm so that a much larger number of family homes can be built to accommodate more children; that vision started to be fulfilled last year with the purchase of a farm and the first children have recently moved into the existing farmhouse. The plan is to build a further 8-10 homes on the land, each accommodating around 10 children. In addition they will use the farm to help feed the children well, whilst teaching them useful land husbandry skills. The needs of such a project are immense so raising funds is a major challenge.

The Devizes to Westminster is the most challenging kayak race in Europe, taking place every year during the Easter weekend. The race has been run since 1948; starting at Devizes wharf, the route follows the Kennet and Avon canal for 54 miles to Reading, where it joins the Thames. Another 54 miles later it reaches Teddington Lock, ending 17 miles later at Westminster Bridge. It has been described as the Everest of the international kayaking race calendar. At 125 miles long, over 90,000 paddle strokes, 77 locks to portage and an average time of 22 hours to complete the course, the DW is a unique physical and mental sporting challenge. Typically, 30% of the entrants will be forced to retire through exhaustion or injury.

Mike and Paul aim to raise money to provide a better and more secure water supply for MtG, both for use by the homes and to irrigate crops in the dry season. With the money raised we hope Jenny will be able to buy 3 enormous water storage tanks, buy a pump and bore a new well which will not only provide a safe and reliable water supply now but should provide what she needs for many years in the future.

Please will you help?

P.S. When you make a donation, don't forget to check the Gift Aid box if you're a UK taxpayer as then the charity can claim an extra 25% from the government.