Teresa Yonge and James Perkins are fundraising to buy much needed water storage tanks for Mutemwa Leprosy Care Centre in Zimbabwe.

Some of you may remember Teresa's last sponsored paddle in July 2017 along the River Thames. It was a great success and the JBMS were able to buy three water tanks for the patients living with leprosy at Mutemwa. However, as Zimbabwe faces hotter summers and increased water shortages, these water tanks prove to be a lifeline for the Mutemwa residents. Teresa and James are doing this sponsored paddle to fund extra water tanks to supplement the ones which were installed in 2017. This will mean that the residents at Mutemwa will have a more stable and reliable access to water in the future.

Mutemwa is a very special place situated in Mashonaland in the Eastern Province of Zimbabwe and is where Teresa's uncle John Bradburne lived for the last 10 years of his life, caring for the community there who were living with the devastating effects of leprosy.

The situation in Zimbabwe today is dire and people are suffering greatly all over the country. Water is a high priority right now with all the droughts they have been having in that part of Africa.

Due to coronavirus government restrictions, Teresa and James will paddle the distance of 134 miles (the length of the River Thames) on their local River Stour in East Anglia instead of the Thames. They will paddle together in a 15ft open Canadian canoe from Sudbury to Cattawade six times, as it is a relatively small river and only 24.2 miles long. The River Stour is a wonderful and peaceful river which gently meanders through the stunningly beautiful Dedham Vale countryside, where the artist John Constable painted many of his masterpieces.

Please support their fundraising venture and give what you can as all contributions will make a difference. Your help and kind sponsorship is much appreciated by Teresa and James, the John Bradburne Memorial Society and, of course, those living at Mutemwa.

Thank you