Dungeness to Boulogne...

 Way to go!

I reported about Mark and Jason undertaking a kayak 'marathon' across the Channel from Dungeness to Boulogne the other day (blog), in aid of raising money for local lass Elsie-Rose, and for the Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation.

These photographs were taken on Wednesday from Will's support boat, many thanks for sharing them... It looks nice and gentle, but unsurprisingly they were both pretty tired by the finish, and I have to say that some of the boats they passed by in the shipping lanes look frighteningly large!

Not far now, well done lads!

If you want to know more about Elsie-Rose, the Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation or SMA Type 1, you can refer to the blog mentioned above, or go to her mother's guest blog posted here a couple of months ago, my respect to all. 👍

Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation

Elsie-Rose


Recently I've been writing a number of reports about events that have centred around Mark Little, his kayak adventure (to be continued in approximately 10 days time!), and raising money for the Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation (Crowdfunding).

Young local character Elsie-Rose, and this 4 year-old local lass certainly is a great character, was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 1 in September 2014, a condition that causes severe muscle weakness and results in problems with movement, eating, breathing and swallowing. Without intervention, sadly, most children with SMA Type 1 die within the first 2 years of life. However, the cheerful and resilient Elsie-Rose strives to carry on enjoying life just like any other 4 year-old child, despite all the complications she just keeps on smiling!

Elsie-Rose angling recently

Because many of the expenses encountered supporting children with SMA Type 1 are not provided for by the NHS, Social Services or the Department of Health, the Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation was set up to support families with disabled, sick and terminally ill children. Indeed, my respect and warm regards go out to Elsie-Rose's mother, family and friends, and Elsie-Rose herself, and how they cope with the myriad of complications involved in their lives.

If you would like to know more about Elsie-Rose and the Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation, and campaigns they are involved in, please go to their facebook page or twitter page. If you would like more information about Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1 please go to the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Support UK website.

Elsie-Rose & Friends: A Marathon in a Kayak!

Elsie-Rose

Well, it's getting very close now for Mark Little and his team, who will be undertaking the equivalent of a marathon, but using their arms rather than their legs, when they kayak across the English Channel from Dungeness to Boulogne this coming week, probably on Tuesday or Wednesday if the forecast stays true. As I've said before, this will be in support of Elsie-Rose and the Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation. 

Local lass Elsie-Rose was diagnosed with Type I SMA in September 2014, a condition that causes severe muscle weakness, and results in problems moving, eating, breathing and swallowing. Without intervention, most children with Type I SMA die within the first 2 years of life, sadly, however, the cheerful and resilient Elsie-Rose strives to carry on and enjoy life just like any other young 4 year-old, despite fractured limbs and many other complications, and she keeps on smiling! 

Because many of the expenses involved in supporting children with Type I SMA are not provided by the Department of Health or NHS, the Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation was set up to help provide help and financial support to families with disabled, sick, and terminally ill children. After meeting Elsie-Rose and her family, Mark and his team decided to kayak across the English Channel with the aim of raising money for Elsie-Rose and the Foundation.

Mark Training

Before setting off to France, indeed, on this Monday coming (20th August), from 3.30 pm at the Dolphin Inn in Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings (opposite the fish market, fish huts and RX134 Stacey Marie Fishermen's Museum outdoor exhibit), there will be a charity raffle in support of this fundraising. 

Kayak IPA

In addition, 2 breweries have already contributed a firkin (72 pints) of ale each, and all the proceeds from their sale will go towards the Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation (many thanks to Wantsum and Marsdens breweries), and with the likelihood of another 2 firkins in the metaphorical pipeline! Watch out for the pumpclip in the image above.

To make contributions towards supporting this brave young girl and others with similar problems, as many local people and businesses already have done, many thanks, please make a donation via Crowdfunding, or visit the Dolphin Inn and make a pledge to support this Kayak Marathon, or put something in the collection box on the bar please. Indeed, all contributions will be very gratefully received, many thanks!

If you wish to know more about Elsie-Rose, the Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation and their campaign, you can go to their facebook page or twitter page. If you would like more details about SMA Type 1, go to the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Support UK website. 

Good luck for Tuesday, and best wishes to Elsie-Rose, her family and friends!

Mark training for Channel Challenge, Elsie-Rose & SMA Type 1

As I've mentioned a number of times now, Mark Little and 3 other Team members are going to cross the English Channel by kayak in August, leaving from Dungeness, and landing in Boulogne several hours later, no doubt with aching arms! Why? Well, to help raise funds for local lass Elsie-Rose, the Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation, and to ensure greater awareness of SMA Type 1.

Elsie-Rose was diagnosed with SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) Type 1 in September 2014, a condition that causes severe muscle weakness, and creates problems with movement, breathing and swallowing. Sadly, without intervention, most children with SMA Type 1 die within the first two years of their shortened lives. However, with her courageous and strong character, Elsie-Rose strives to enjoy life just like any other 4 year old!

Mark practicing out there!

The Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation was also set up to provide help and financial support to families with disabled, sick, and terminally ill children. After meeting Elsie-Rose and members of her family, Mark and his team decided to take up the challenge and kayak across the English Channel with the aim of raising money for Elsie-Rose, and for the Foundation.

Consequently, they are seeking donations via Crowdfunding to go towards the cost of any special equipment Elsie-Rose may need, and to provide the Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation with funding and to support other families in need. There is also a collection box and sponsorship forms at the Dolphin Inn, 11-12 Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings TN34 3DW.

A wee bit closer

If you wish to know more about Elsie-Rose and the Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation you can go to their facebook page or twitter page. If you would like more information about SMA Type 1, go to the Spinal Muscular Atrophy website.

To help support the courageous young Elsie-Rose and others, a donation via Crowdfunding would be very gratefully received, or visit the Dolphin Inn and make a pledge to support the Kayak Team, or add to the collection box, many thanks!

Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation Fundraising Update.

Following Natasha Kelly's successful completion of the Hastings Half Marathon on Sunday and raising nearly £1,500 for the Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation (blog), this is an update on how the fundraising is going for Mark Little and the 3 other volunteers in his team, who will be kayaking across the English Channel from Dungeness to Boulogne in August (blog). They will also be fundraising in support of the local 4 year-old with Type I SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy), Elsie-Rose, whose grandfather and other family members work in the local fishing industry, and the Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation. 

Young Elsie-Rose was diagnosed with Type I SMA in September 2014, a condition that causes severe muscle weakness, and results in problems moving, eating, breathing and swallowing. Without intervention, most children with Type I SMA die within the first 2 years of life, however, the resilient Elsie-Rose strives to carry on and enjoy life just like all other 4 year olds, or more so! 

Because many of the expenses involved in supporting children with Type I SMA are not provided by the Department of Health or NHS, the Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation was set up to help provide help and financial support to families with disabled, sick, and terminally ill children. After meeting Elsie-Rose and her family, Mark and his team decided to kayak across the English Channel with the aim of raising money for Elsie-Rose and the Foundation.  

Donations are being sought via Crowdfunding which will go towards necessary equipment for Elsie-Rose and her carers, and to contribute funds towards the Foundation so that it may support other families in need. So far £440 has been donated via Crowdfunding, many thanks! There is also a collection box for donations and sponsorship forms in the Dolphin Inn at 11-12 Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings TN34 3DW. 

If you wish to know more about Elsie-Rose, the Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation and their campaign, you can go to their facebook page or twitter page. If you would like more details about SMA Type 1, go to the Spinal Muscular Atrophy website. 

To make a contribution towards supporting this brave 4 year-old and other children with similar problems, please make a donation via Crowdfunding or go and visit the Dolphin Inn and make a pledge to support the team's kayaking challenge, or add to the collection box, indeed, all contributions are very gratefully received, many thanks!