Words:
Nikki McGenn,
Clare Symes &
David Harkness

Photos:
Nikki McGenn &
Dan McGaley

Contacts

Sudbury Canoe Club

Sudbury Canoe Club
email: scc.onthestour@gmail.com
https://sudburycanoeclub.org.uk/

Colchester Canoe Club
email: colchestercanoeclub@outlook.com
https://colchestercanoeclub.co.uk/

1st Acton and Waldingfield Scout Group
email: lou.horsley@suffolkscouts.org.uk

River Stour Trust
email: administrator@riverstourtrust.org
https://www.riverstourtrust.org/

Steel Bones
email: hello@steelbone.co.uk
https://steelbone.co.uk/

Steel Bones

The Steel Bones Challenge: A challenge is born

“Hi, I’m a trustee for Steel Bones, a charity for amputees and their families. We are exploring running a canoe challenge as an activity for members and possibly to help raise some funds. We thought of canoes as most of the people we help are lower-limb amputees, so we feel a canoe could be an ideal physical challenge for people. Most of our members are based around East Anglia, and hence, we are contacting you to see if your club may be able to help us with equipment, training, and safety.”

Sudbury Canoe Club is a small canoe club located in Sudbury, Suffolk.  We pride ourselves on being friendly and welcoming. So when this email came in out of the blue in January 2024, we wanted to help if we could.  The initial exchanges we had with the charity were intriguing. We learned that Steel Bones supports amputees and their families throughout Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex. It is the fastest-growing charity for civilian amputees (there are numerous sources of support for military amputees, but not so many for civilians).

Steel Bones organise a different fundraising event each year, but this year they wanted it to be a challenge for some of their members that was as inclusive as possible.  Their last fundraising event was a walk to the top of Mount Snowden; it was fine as a fundraiser but not so good as a challenge for their members because many of the amputees simply couldn’t participate in an arduous walk.

They thought a canoe challenge would provide the inclusivity they wanted. But they had no idea where to start. They had contacted a canoe hire company that would organise the challenge for them, but the price quoted at £7000 – meant this was not a viable option. Hence the email to Sudbury Canoe Club. Over a few email exchanges with Gary, an amputee himself and a trustee of Steel Bones, we explored the options.

The idea of a version of ‘Sudbury to the Sea’ quickly emerged as the favoured option. This is a 26-mile paddle from Sudbury to Cattawade (the sea near Manningtree) along the beautiful River Stour,  which runs through ‘Constable country’, passing historic Flatford mill. Cows are still grazed on the riverbanks and come down to the river to drink, we see kingfishers, pike and even the occasional otter. The River Stour Trust organise an annual paddle of the route (partly to keep the river open as a navigation) over two days with an overnight camping stopover midway. We thought we could adapt it for the amputees.
So, the Steel Bones Canoe Challenge was born!

I vividly remember the first planning meeting with Gary and Emma from Steel Bones, which took place in a packed supermarket coffee shop.  We discussed logistics and other practicalities rather politely until one of our team (who can be a bit blunt) asked a question troubling us, “What would happen if an amputee fell into the river? Could they swim with an artificial limb on? If not, how easy would it be to get it off?” Gary promptly reached down, took his leg off and put it on the table between us! I am not sure who was most startled. Judging by the reaction of the other patrons, this is not an everyday occurrence in Waitrose. But it set the tone for our interactions with Steel Bones – one of open cooperation mixed with moments of pure comedy.

It shouldn’t have surprised us, but the amputees we met were, without exception, determined to get on with their lives despite the challenges they faced and did so with a tremendous sense of humour.

We divided up roles with Steel Bones. Sudbury Canoe Club would provide training on paddle skills and safety, the canoes and other kit required, and would lead and guide on the water for the event itself. Steel Bones would handle the logistics of finding the paddlers to participate and organising the fundraising.

Training, planning, preparation
Training started in the Spring. We took small groups of participants for training sessions.  These were primarily to build paddle skills, but we also covered safety. A big shout-out should go to Dan McGaley, who ran a bespoke safety course (a sort of mini PSRC) for some of the Steel Bones participants. It made everyone more comfortable that we would be able to cope in an emergency.

The interest in the challenge was high, and we soon realised we needed more support. So, we reached out to other local groups. Sudbury Canoe Club didn’t have enough canoes for all the participants, but fortunately, a local Scout group and some very generous individuals (thanks Julian Stiff)) lent us extra boats, trailers and kit, which we couldn’t have done without. Colchester Canoe Club (particularly thanks to Amanda Gilmour) also joined in, providing equipment, essential help with planning, and extra experienced paddlers and leaders to support both on and off the water.

In the run-up to the event, we had a great deal to do and quite a few challenges of our own to overcome. We hadn’t run an event like this before.

Here are some tips from our experience:
Don’t underestimate how much planning is needed. Put a plan in writing so you have checklists and records (Thanks to the two Davids for the 25-page risk assessment, emergency plan, logistics plan, and all the sign-on and emergency medical papers). Paddle UK has some good templates for risk assessment and event planning.

Try to anticipate the things that inexperienced paddlers might forget (floaty straps for spectacles were one example) or that you might need (e.g. coloured tape to distinguish which kit comes from where so it can be returned at the end of the event).

Take up all offers of help from reliable club members and supporters. On the day, in addition to the leaders on the water, you will need bank support drivers, car park marshals, helpers at portages, and many more. Fortunately, all our volunteers turned up, but it is wise to have a contingency for last-minute cancellations.

If someone offers you boats or kit, look at it rather than taking their word for its suitability because the offered kit might be broken or unsuitable and finding that out at the last moment is slightly heart-stopping.

Guidance is easy to get on many conventional topics but not straightforward on more esoteric topics, such as the performance of buoyancy aids for swimmers wearing artificial limbs. Build in time to find assistance on those things.

The event
With nervous anticipation, we woke up when the challenge started. Some of us had slept in campervans in a car park in Sudbury so as to be ready for an early start, getting the boats out, shuttling cars to the midpoint campsite, readying buoyancy aids in multiple sizes and paddles and all the other kit needed. But it had been a sleepless night for me. Would all the volunteers turn up? Would the Steel Bones participants? What would the weather be like – too hot, too cold, too windy? What would we do if an amputee fell in wearing a very expensive electronic prosthesis (some of them cost thousands, and they don’t float at all)?

A particular concern was the portages. There are more than a dozen weirs on the route requiring portage, and we had discovered in our training sessions that getting in and out of boats was difficult for amputees, not to mention that once out of the canoes, it could be tricky to cross the rough ground from the exit to the put in. Some portages were inaccessible by road, so our bank-based team could not help. As it turned out, we need not have worried about this. River Stour Trust volunteers kindly opened locks at Cornard, Stratford and Flatford, which took three difficult portages out (thanks, Podge, but no singing next time, please). The Steel Bones participants overcame the other portages on crutches, wheelchairs, artificial limbs or even their bottoms with incredible determination and good humour.

Day one went well in spite of my worries. As we gathered, with a sense of nervous anticipation, the tone for the day was set by one amputee (I am sure he won’t mind me describing him as a ‘larger gentleman’) who announced loudly that all our buoyancy aids were far too big for him. We had a great day.  All of the participants made it to our overnight stop at Rushbanks campsite, including completing a tricky section of the river from Bures, where the river is tight, requiring good steering skills. We had half expected some participants to call it a day, but while tired and stiff, everyone was upbeat and looking forward to day two.

Day two
Having completed day one, I was much more confident about day two. It was a shorter paddle because part of the river is not currently paddleable owing to a dangerous bridge at Boxted. So we had to start with a short shuttle to Stratford St Mary, where we put in. Once again, River Stour Trust volunteers were kind enough to open the lock, saving us a very awkward put-in, and we were off. It was a lovely day, and the paddle seemed to go by in a flash. Lunch was at Flatford (some people took the time to break off and look at Willy Lott’s Cottage, immortalised by John Constable).  Then on to Cattawade, the sea and the finish.

I am delighted to say that all 23 participants (and all their limbs!) completed the challenge. Ages ranged from eight to 63, including paddlers with arm amputations and single or double leg amputations. This was a huge achievement for them. For some, being outside, surrounded by beautiful countryside and wildlife, was something they rarely got to do. Some of the double-amputee participants were largely housebound. Another participant was a 14-year-old girl who was suffering from a severe illness and had a high upper leg amputation as a result. Two teenage boys, both able-bodied, were paddling for their 14-year-old sister, who had a limb amputated when she was three.

Many of the Steel Bones participants were sponsored, and they raised over £11,000, which is pretty incredible (congratulations to Scarlett Walker, who raised the most). However, the reaction of the participants was more important.  The atmosphere at the end was quite emotional, with enormous smiles from participants, many of whom had never paddled. The challenge was never just about raising money – it was about participation. The sense of achievement we could see was more than ample reward for our efforts.

“The support from Sudbury Canoe Club and Colchester Canoe Club was outstanding. We also had incredible assistance from our Steel Bones volunteers, who worked tirelessly to help amputees and move canoes over portages, ensuring everyone could complete the challenge. The event brought an amazing sense of achievement to all participants, many of whom have only recently undergone amputations and are still receiving medical treatment for a variety of conditions. Despite the physical demands, everyone who completed the challenge felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, even though they were understandably tired.

“I never realised when I first asked Sudbury Canoe Club for help how big an ask it was. I was stunned by how much collaboration and work was involved, and the contributions made were something I shall never forget. Everyone enjoyed the event, leaving a special bond between the two organisations.”
Gary Hawksworth from Steel Bones