Fundraising Events

Mike Heron's Sponsored Row for Footwear Friends

Between 10th and 21st August 2009

I have to report that I did not complete the both way row of Coniston Water as planned.

My wife Jutta came with me for a trial run on Tuesday, 11th August but everything went wrong. We had to wait for nearly two hours to hire a boat. When we eventually got onto the water, the boat proved most unsuitable, no foot rest at all, of flimsy construction and very low in the water. Conditions became really bad as soon as we got under way – strong winds, heavy rain and gigantic waves. At one point we nearly capsized. Jutta could not even light a ciggy to steady her nerves! Conditions improved slightly but having taken two hours to row about 3 miles, I decided to call it a day.

After this experience, I thought it wiser to go back to my usual Windermere course (double the distance). The following day I rowed alone from Bowness to Ambleside and back – about 8 miles. Quite "iffy" conditions and the boat leaked, so it took longer than usual. After a day's rest, I rowed alone from Bowness to just beyond Rawlinson Nab on the west shore – about 5 miles – in reasonable conditions despite being drenched in heavy showers. My titfer blew off and proved sinkable and irretrievable.

That left me seven days to drive to Fell Foot Park; a National Trust property opposite Lakeside, hire one of their rowing boats and cover the remaining stretch from Lakeside to Rawlinson Nab and back. Completely thwarted, I'm sorry to say, by almost continuous rain, fierce wind and even stronger currents. On the one day, when conditions seemed alright, all the boat hire places on Windermere – Fell Foot, Bowness and Ambleside were under instruction from on high, not to hire any rowing boats out.

Apologies for this saga, but I felt I owed my numerous sponsors an explanation of why the elements conspired to frustrate my best intentions, I can only say in mitigation that I managed to notch up more miles in aggregate – 16 if you are not bored stiff by now – than the 11.5 miles originally planned.

Sponsorship money received so far includes a record £5,000 from a Footwear Friend and already exceeds the total amount donated for my rowing gigs in the last seven years. Well done everyone! As always, all money goes directly to Footwear Friends for allocation to footwear folk in need. So a very big thank you for your generosity, especially in these cash-strapped times.

Michael Heron, M.B.E.

Mike Heron rowing Windermere