WE DID IT :-)

On October 13^th 2021, 5 of us (Mike Dobson, Kester Boardman, Jeff Polton, John Keane, Giles Sims Williams) are going to attempt to Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP) from Chester to Liverpool in one day. This involves 55km of paddling along the River Dee, the Wirral coast and in via the River Mersey. Some of us have never paddled more than 6km, so to be completely honest we're not sure this is possible, especially with only 12hrs of daylight at this time of year. But with safety in numbers, i.e. 5 good friends from the Aquatic Social Society of Chester, plus training support from Tom, Jake and Nick...whilst it may be a crazy idea, we're sure that together we have a chance and we’d love your support to spur us on!

Also, in the year of COP26, as we all get back to the office, this is our rather extreme low carbon commute to Liverpool.

We’re doing SUP4SPACE to raise money for the amazing charity SPACE in Chester https://spacecheshire.org/ . Their mission is to relieve isolation experienced by children with additional needs and their families by providing fully accessible support and facilities. Simple things like after school clubs, playing sports, and even play with their friends aren’t possible without parents supporting as carers. And of course parents do this, as nobody wants their children to miss out on these experiences. But this leaves very little
respite (sometimes none) alongside work. And the lockdown amplified this for many with schools, the only rest, being closed. But SPACE were there to help, so we want to do our bit to make sure they can continue their services for more families, who probably need them more than ever. One of us (Mike) knows personally just how important their services are having children with special needs himself.

But don't take our word for it, this is from one of the parents who uses Space:

 "Space, in Chester, has given children and young people with additional needs a place to go that is 100% inclusive and adapted to their needs. They can relax, play and develop valuable skills in a place that is totally accessible and with staff that are supportive of them as individuals. It has also provided parents and carers with a place to meet other families, share experiences and make lifelong friends. WE LOVE SPACE!" Vanessa Usai

So why pick this challenge? Well, there’s a few reasons. Mike took up SUP during lockdown and it really helped him cope, just getting out on the river with nature. In fact he bought his SUP in time to try
surfing the Dee tidal bore last October with Kester, Giles, Jeff, John, Jake, Tom, and Nick, who had set up the Aquatic Social Club to get out on the river in Chester :-) We all feel the same. 

Some of our jobs involve working with rivers and the sea, water and energy. Prior to lockdown, Mike spent a year working to harness the power of the tides on the Mersey Tidal Power project. One of us works at the National Oceanography Centre in Liverpool and does provides more tidal and river data than you can imagine. One of us manages some of the massive off shore wind farm you can see off the Welsh coast. One of us works as an environmental consultant working with all kinds of environmental issues and data. So in short, we realised that by using the tides, it could make this challenge possible, and we could do a lot of good on many levels.

Mike would also like to add that having children with special needs can be like going against the tide and its only when somewhere like SPACE helps you to go with the tide now and again, that life gets a bit easier. In this case, its a race against tide, to get out of the Dee before it turns and we get swept back to Chester. 

And that is why we're doing it on the 13th October, as the high tide is early and gives us about 12hours of daylight to get to the other end.
And last of all, with the challenge of NetZero looming large, with us all starting to get back to the office, this also happens to be a version of a low carbon commute to Liverpool where two of us work. It all just fits.

There are of course some risks and due to the fast currents and shipping in the Mersey, we'll have to land at New Brighton and cross the river (500m) by Ferry, train etc to Liverpool. But there is of course one risk out of our control; the weather. If a storm comes in, we’ll have to postpone, probably til Spring due to daylight hours and tides. But if the worst happens, we’ll do something on the day with the promise of completing the challenge as soon as possible next year.

So please dig deep and give us your support.

We’ll be posting updates on this site,  Linkedin (http://linkedin.com/in/mike-dobson-ab0b81 and other accounts) and Twitter (@crazySUPquest)

Thanks to you all

Mike, Kester, Jeff, John, Giles.... team #SUP4SPACE