Canoeing down the Stour for Christian Aid

On an August day that started damp and steadily improved to warm sunshine, ten people arrived safely in Stratford St Mary after paddling from Wissington. This stretch of the river presents more challenges than the original route from Sudbury to Bures, but fewer obstacles were encountered than last year. The general verdict was that it was a tiring but enjoyable and very worthwhile day. The canoeists included Revd John Boardman, Minister at St John’s Methodist Church, Simon Snell, Coordinator for Christian Aid in Suffolk, and Richard Stanford and Jane Martland of St John’s. The event continues to support a Christian Aid project to make pregnancy and birth safer, prevent HIV, reduce underage pregnancies and tackle gender-based violence for over 200,000 indigenous women and girls in Honduras and El Salvador. The money raised will again be quadrupled by matched funding from the European Union. Any of the participants will be glad to receive sponsorship, or you can donate online via www.justgiving.com/fundraising/john-boardman6 or via Malcolm Snow (01787 374096).

There is a good set of photos and a couple of videos from Simon Snell on https://www.facebook.com/caeastengland.