Cousins gearing up for charity canoe trip to help end polio

Two cousins from Windsor are aiming to raise £5,000 by canoeing 150 miles along the Thames in five days.

Richard Stabbins and Guy Wilkins plan to raise the money towards Rotary International’s End Polio Now campaign as they go.

They have been inspired by Adrian and Veronica Stabbins, Richard's parents. Adrian is Dedworth's retired dentist and with his wife has visited India several times to vaccinate children in the streets of Delhi.

Richard also lives in Windsor - with his wife Sarah and daughter Charlotte.

He has already climbed Kilimanjaro, the four peaks and completed five London Marathons for various causes. Similarly, Guy, who is a keen cyclist, has participated in a number of charitable events over the past few years including the London to Brighton cycle ride.

Their 150 mile canoe trip covers the distance between Cricklade and Westminster.

Both Richard and Guy are out training every weekend on the Thames.

"Canoeing 30 miles each day will be a tremendous challenge but the work completed by Rotary to date makes the hard effort very rewarding" said Richard who is a company director at Capita

If you would like to see the pair in action as the pass through Windsor, there will be a supporter’s picnic on Saturday, June 1 at Bath Island, Barry Avenue where they plan to stop for lunch between midday and 1300.

Donations can be made via their website at www.polioendsdownthethames.org