Swindon has been at the heart of NSPCC for 125 years and throughout 2022/23 local volunteers are trying to raise £125,000 in celebration and to help keep vital services going for local children and their families. 

NSPCC Swindon Business Board have set up this Just Giving page in support of the appeal and have put together a crew of 5 to row 124 miles of the River Thames, from "Cotswolds to Capital", this August. 

On Thursday 4 August the crew will cast off from Lechlade to row the 124 miles to The Lensbury at Teddington over the next three days. They will be supported by a land crew who will endeavour to minimise their discomfort and the time taken to pass through the 44 locks that will slow their journey.

Their boat will be provided by Reading Rowing Club and will be secured overnight with Abingdon and Marlow Rowing Clubs whilst the crew hotel nearby.

The NSPCC Service Hub provides services to help children and their families to recover from the impact of abuse. The team works with children who have suffered from all types of abuse which includes physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect and those who have experienced domestic violence. 

Did you know that £25 could pay for a trained practitioner for one hour, supporting parents and families in caring for their children. 

By sponsoring the Thames Row you’ll be helping ensure that NSPCC Swindon can still be here for children and families across the local area, whether that’s helping parents deal with the extra stress and strains of parenthood or children to move on from the trauma of abuse.

Please help us to help them, thank you.




Our Rowing Team from right to left:

Sowande Coker –   Sowande lives in London and works for US law firm Hogan Lovells LLP.leading recruitment for London.  He’s an excellent all-round sportsman and with some rowing under his belt he’s enjoyed getting back into the boat, although he’s more likely to be found wearing the 14 shirt on the rugby pitch and has been capped for Wales in touch rugby.

Paul Fletcher –  Paul is a technical buyer for a Formula One team and has his own business Old Town Upholstery. He has completed the Great North Run and the Bath Half-Marathon to raise money for
Cancer Research but had never set foot in a boat until completing the Cotswold to Capital challenge in 2019  and still recognises that rowing 124 miles with a crew of just five is a huge challenge.

Warren Nienaber   Warren is a Civil Engineer working for PFA Consulting in Swindon. He used to row when he was at Plymouth University and was a member of the crew that completed the
Cotswold to Capital challenge in 2019. Since then, he’s become a keen road cyclist, logging over 2000 miles in the first half of this year, participating in various endurance events around Europe. Despite that, the updated challenge of completing the distance with a single crew in three days is not being taken lightly. He is nonetheless eager to hit the water again for this worthy cause

Ashley Egerton -  A new recruit to the team and a novice rower, Ashley stepped into a rowing boat for the first time this month and now realises what a challenge he has taken on. He drives HGVs
for Marks and Spencer and is an enthusiastic addition to the team.

John Jefferies – John has been a motorcycle enthusiast from an early age and rode for Swindon Robins Speedway team in his teens. He went on to have a very successful grass track career and is now General Manager of MotoCave  based on Kembrey Park providing motorcycle service and sales.  He limits his competitive riding  to Mountain bikes these days but he ran the Swindon Half Marathon in 2019 for the NSPCC and hopes to be fit enough to run the Bath Half-Marathon in October this year.