A WARRINGTON man is set to complete two legs of the Clipper Round the World Challenge this year, from April to July, to raise money for Cancer Research UK.
Dennis Wolstenholme, from Appleton, will be taking part in the challenge which, for his two legs, will take three months to complete.
Having never professionally sailed before, Dennis completed training with Clipper two years ago, as the event was due to take place in 2020. However, the pandemic meant the event was pushed back to this year.
Dennis completed refresher training this month and will be flying out to the US next month to complete further training before setting off on two legs of the race, from Seattle. He will be sailing to Panama, Bermuda, New York, Derry-Londonderry and finishing in London in July.
A cancer survivor himself, he was inspired to take on the clipper challenge to raise money for Cancer Research UK so that others can continue to benefit from its life-saving research and breakthroughs.
He said: “Taking part in the ‘Clipper Round the World’ race is the most challenging adventure of my life; I describe it as ‘My Everest’. I will live on a 70ft Ocean going sailing yacht for three months with 20 other guys, in a series of races from Seattle, through the Panama Canal to New York; then we sail across the North Atlantic to Northern Ireland, and then around the north of Scotland to finish at the Royal Docks on the Thames on the July 30.
“I will have sailed 12,000 miles. It is literally life at 45 degrees, facing nature in its rawest form. Life at sea has always fascinated me, and this coupled with such an extreme challenge in such an hostile environment will give me the ‘Race of my Life’.
“In my life I have faced many challenges, but the worst has come from cancer. I have had Prostate cancer, and many of my family and friends have suffered from this terrible disease. What is needed are cures, and the only way this will be achieved is through research. We need to support the scientists in their work to find cures. Research works, as we have seen with the Covid 19 vaccine programme. I have selected Cancer Research UK as my chosen charity for this extreme challenge to help them to continue their vital work in supporting the scientists in their lifesaving work. My aim is to raise £1/mile, equating to £12,000.”
Chris Doyle, relationship manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “Every step our scientists take towards beating cancer relies on our supporters and, for that reason, we’re incredibly grateful to Dennis for taking on this epic challenge.
“He has shown incredible determination over the last two years to continue with this challenge and to raise a fantastic amount of money for the charity. We would like to thank him from the bottom of our hearts.
“Cancer Research UK has made enormous progress in the fight against the disease. However, we have been hit hard by COVID-19. Almost every way we raise money to fund our research was impacted by the pandemic, with our shops temporarily closed, and events cancelled.
“One in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime*. All of us can support the research that will beat it. It is thanks to the dedication and commitment volunteers and supporters, like the Dennis, that we are able to fund our life-saving research.”
Donate to Dennis’ fundraising page at: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/unite/dennis-wolstenholme
1 Comment
Well done