Local campaigner Tim Shapland has raised over £600 for forces charity Combat Stress with Longstride Afloat, a week-long sponsored sailing challenge on the Solent. The Solent is the strait that separates the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England, measuring 20 miles in length and about one to four miles wide.
Tim, who is Business Services Director at Landmarc Support Services, the international provider of training and infrastructure solutions, organised the event following his earlier successful challenge, Project Longstride, a series of walks covering 100 miles that saw him raise over £20,000 in 2013 for the same cause.
Tim and the Longstriders had previously hiked across locations all over the country including Salisbury Plain, Northumberland, the Brecon Beacons, Pembrokeshire, and Thetford, but he decided to take to the high seas in this new challenge. Tim was accompanied by first mate Mat Roberts, head of sustainability at Landmarc Support Services, and a number of other Landmarc employees who joined them for their own one-day sailing experiences.
Combat Stress is an independent charity that works with former Veterans who, through military service, have encountered experiences that have led to conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Combat Stress works with these Veterans to provide effective treatment and support for this and similar mental health difficulties. Their work is only made possible through fund raising initiatives, and they receive over 1,500 new referrals annually.
Tim said: “We had such great success with the original Project Longstride, that we decided to do something a bit different this time around and take to the water .
“We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who donated to this very worthy cause, as the charity would not be able to conduct its fantastic work without fundraising aid. A further Longstride event is planned for later in the year, so keep an eye out, you never know where we may turn up next!”
To find out more about Combat Stress at www.combatstress.org.uk
Rachel Atkinson, Mat Roberts, Camilla Timms & Jo Cornish enjoyed a day on the Solent
Mat Roberts with Trena Silvester, Kat Sobey and Julie Smart from our National Service Centre (NSC).