Beating bowel cancer together

Dechra take to the lake for bowel cancer fundraiser

Thursday 16 June 2022

Amy Loxam, Talent and Engagement Specialist at pharmaceuticals company Dechra, describes how colleagues took on three rowing races in support of Bowel Cancer UK.

In spring this year, a group of colleagues from the Skipton site of Dechra Pharmaceuticals decided to enter a team into the Dragon Boat Race on the lake at the Coniston Hotel and Spa in the Lake District.

Fifteen of our colleagues, most of whom have never rowed in a boat before, signed up to complete at least three races across the lake, with each race being 200m long.

We decided to use the event as an opportunity to raise money for Bowel Cancer UK after it was suggested by Emma, one of our colleagues and a member of the rowing team. The cause is particularly close to Emma’s heart at the moment as her mum has recently been diagnosed with bowel cancer and we wanted to show our support.

We set ourselves a fundraising target of £1,500 and decided on our rowers and our drummer for the boat then selected our mascot; Toothless, a Night Fury from ‘How to Train Your Dragon’.

Then, the ‘Dechra Night Furies’ were ready to take to the lake.

We arrived early in the morning to set up our gazebo and receive a safety briefing from the organisers. After a quick chat about tactics (row as fast as you can) we donned life jackets and were handed a paddle before climbing into the boat.

The team took part in three races, reducing their time from one minute six seconds to one minute four seconds and finished with a best time of one minute one second.

We didn’t make it into the semi-finals unfortunately, but came 13th out of 18 teams and after no training or team practice, we were pleasantly surprised that we didn’t come last! The weather held out for most of the day and although it was a chilly start, the sun came out at the end of the race just in time for a celebratory drink!

The team had a very enjoyable day and all agreed they’d love to do it again next year, we’re already discussing training and tactics to come back stronger next year!

It was a great team-building experience but the most rewarding part was seeing our fundraising total adding up as the days went along, and currently we’ve managed to raise £1,191. We’ve not quite hit our target…but we’re not stopping yet.

 

Your support helps save lives. Donate now and help us ensure a future where nobody dies of bowel cancer.
Your support helps save lives. Donate now and help us ensure a future where nobody dies of bowel cancer.

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