For our intrepid alumnae, the start of the new term signifies that it is just over 3 months until they start their Atlantic Row. Abby Johnston (current senior lead rowing coach and class of 2007) and Charlotte Irving (class of 2008) will begin their 3000 mile row across the Atlantic, from the Canary Islands to Antigua, on December 12th. They are a team of three women called “ExtraOARdinary” and Charlotte and Abby join third crew member Kat with the aim of breaking the world record which currently stands at 49 days.

Their row is not only about breaking the world record, but the women also hope to raise over £100,000 for three cancer charities, which have been adversely affected by the pandemic. Like so many others, cancer has played a part in all of their lives, but in particular for their teammate Kat, who was diagnosed with the devastating disease in 2019 and after surgery, believed she was in remission. However, last year during the pandemic, Kat found out the cancer had come back and unfortunately this time it will be incurable. This challenge is her way of making the most of whatever time she has left and putting the CAN in cancer. 

On 18^th September this year, the ExtraOARdinary crew are holding a black tie fundraising dinner at Grosvenor House on Park Lane, and would like to invite the LEH community to join them for an evening of entertainment including auctions, raffles and live music! They have some fantastic prizes on offer along with a celebrity auctioneer, and they hope to raise as much money as possible for their campaign, so if you would like to purchase a ticket and support the women, please follow the link below. https://www.weareextraoardinary.com/extraoardinary-ball.

The team are also looking for corporate sponsorship of the boat and have a range of packages available, including branding space on the boat.  For more information, please see:

https://www.weareextraoardinary.com/sponsors

Photo credit: Thanks to Cancer Research UK