PIONEERING sailors jumped aboard kayaks last summer, set their compasses to London and raised thousands of pounds for head and neck cancer sufferers.
The group of six including Great Britain blind footballer Steven Turbitt, were delighted when kind-hearted Jaguar Land Rover’s Employee Charity Committee members brought the final total to £25,000.
Brothers Carl Turbitt and Steven, Get-a-Head chairman Tom Bromwich and Mark and fundraisers Mark Esom and Murray West battled for three days with blisters, bruises and 166 locks as they traveled the 124 miles to London from Hockley Heath along the Grand Union Canal.
Carl, who dreamt up the idea of sailing down the Grand Union Canal with his brother to help raise funds for a charity close to his heart said it was wonderful to be able to give something back to help others.
He added: “We’re thrilled to be able to raise this incredible amount for Get-A-Head, my wife Tracy was diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC) in 2010 and Get A-head were there to support us.”
The challengers each had a personal story of how a rare form of head and neck cancer, ACC or Medullary Thyroid cancer (MTC) had affected their lives.
Get A-Head will use the funds to support the research into ACC and Medullary Thyroid Cancer (MTC).
