Royal Air Force Regiment Atlantic Row team to showcase boat at CareCo HQ before setting sail
Members of the Royal Air Force Regiment Atlantic Row Team, with the support of the Royal Air Force Regiment Association (Catterick & District Branch), will be showcasing their boat at the HQ of national mobility retailer CareCo HQ on Monday 13th October.
The team are about to participate in Atlantic Campaigns’ ‘World’s Toughest Row’ to raise money for the Royal British Legion, Macmillan Cancer Research, and the Centurion Fund – a direct RAF supporter.
The challenge will entail around 50 straight days of rowing, which means no walking for the duration so CareCo will support them at the end with any mobility aids they may need.
The team of four, with an average age of 56, want to showcase the importance of teamwork, resilience, and mental health care to encourage younger people to push themselves, whilst proving to themselves that they are still fit enough to do the job.
The team consists of Air Commodore Matt Stowers (Defence Attache Muscat), Group Captain Andy Calame (Inspector RAF Reserves). Calame is also a member of The King’s Bodyguard (Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms in St James’s Palace), Wing Commander Mike Dewar (Chief of Staff RAF Flying Training) and Squadron Leader Mark Jacklin (RAF Safety Centre).
The boat, named Per Ardua 21, will be situated at the front of CareCo HQ, with the opportunity for people to sit in the rowing seat and feel the boat so they can understand how small and exposed to the elements it is. The boat is very safe, self-righting and will have quality emergency kit available but there will be no support boats available, and the team’s bathroom will be a bucket.
On the day, there will be the opportunity to speak to some of the rowers and meet some of the CareCo team to speak about their support for this too. There will be refreshments provided to those in attendance.
The race prep itself starts in La Gomera between the 1st and 9th December so the event offers the last chance for the public to see the boat before it travels out.
CareCo is sponsoring the boat and will be adding its logo to help showcase their support for the challenge, alongside speaking with the team throughout their journey to share across their social media channels.
Will Harrison, CareCo founder and mobility expert says, “This sponsorship aligns perfectly with our values, especially ‘embrace the adventure’. Resilience in the face of adversity means that we don’t stand still and wait to see what happens, we make it happen. Our team will always lend a hand, and it’s in our values to ensure that even if it is in the smallest of ways that we are consistently helping others.
“We often hear customers tell us that mobility products are life-changing for them, and we want to support veterans as much as we possibly can who offer so much to our country.
“This is a mammoth task that the RAF Regiment team are taking on, and we wish them all the very best as they travel across the Atlantic with sheer grit and determination to complete the row, and we’ll be supporting them when they hit the finish line too.”
Group Captain Andy Calame adds, “As a team we are really upbeat by the fabulous support from everyone at CareCo. As a slightly older team we are really alive to the physical impact of this endurance row. Walking will be a challenge when we first arrive back on land and even though we have purchased the best available seats there will be long periods of discomfort.
“This gives us empathy with anyone with mobility and movement issues and a much better understanding of the hard work and innovation that CareCo invest in their products. As is often said in the military ‘anyone can be uncomfortable’; learning from CareCo we aim to minimise the discomfort and really appreciate their support.”
The event takes place at CareCo’s HQ at 1 Turing Court, Great Notley, Braintree, Essex, CM77 7AT, United Kingdom from 11am until 1pm on Monday 13th October.
In August this year CareCo announced the opening of its latest showroom in Oxford, its 36th in the UK, as it continues its retail plan to expand across the UK.
