Be part of an extraordinary mission to row one million metres and set a new world record, with the aim to make a difference to the lives of children with cancer and their families, on the South Coast of England.
The funds raised will support Momentum in Fitness Charity with their ‘PB Active’ project, delivering life changing exercise therapy to children under the care of the Piam Brown Unit at Southampton General Hospital and out in the community.
Together, we can make every pull, make a difference.
Our challenge involves a mixed team of 12 people, consisting of 9 males and 3 females, rowing 1,000,000 metres non stop as a team on a Concept2 rowing machine. . The challenge will set a Guinness World Record™ as long as it's completed within 61 hours 58 minutes 41 seconds. The challenge will take place between the 18th and 20th June 2025 in the foyer of Southampton General Hospital.
The challenge is the brainchild of Gihan Ganesh, a father who's one year old daughter was diagnosed with a very rare, advanced and complex pelvic tumour in 2022. During this daunting time, rowing was the only minuscule bit of exercise Gihan could manage during her treatment – the very occasional moment of focus outside of her care. Secondly, it requires both physical and mental toughness as well as being unforgiving and precise, it is a fitting micro representation of what his daughter had to go through. By aiming for a Guiness World Record™ we are setting the bar as high as possible.
Gihan's aim is to raise £1000 for every day that his daughter was on active treatment, which is £169,000 total. He says: "This figure will provide the funds to establish and run the PB Active Project from Momentum in Fitness Charity for the next 3 years. Please give what you can to help us do something amazing''.
‘PB-Active’ is Momentum in Fitness Charity‘s project working in partnership with the NHS at the Piam Brown Ward at Southampton General Hospital. We deliver exercise therapy to children on and off treatment both on the Piam Brown Ward and off-site at our gym location in Eastleigh, Hampshire.
We are working closely with Southampton General Hospital to support children and young people with cancer to participate in exercise and physical activity both in the hospital and outside of the clinical environment.
The project facilitates two exercise professionals to visit the Piam Brown ward on a weekly basis to deliver individualised exercise sessions to children admitted to the hospital for treatment or attending the ward as day patients. The project also provides exercise therapy sessions outside of the hospital environment in our gym location in South Hampshire. This provides both patients and parents with a more relaxed non-clinical environment to attend.
Participating in regular physical activity when having cancer treatment may help young people to manage the side effects associated with their treatment and make their overall quality of life better, as recent studies have proved that being active has a very positive impact on patient recovery and should be encouraged.
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