A LOCAL hero is pushing the boat out to raise money for charity on the occasion of his 52nd birthday.
Stephen Lamb from Lutterworth – the team leader of Leicestershire Search and Rescue for the past six years and a former Royal Marine – always does ‘something different’ to celebrate his birthday, and this year will be no exception.
On Sunday (April 14), he will set off from Foxton Locks on a six-day, 120-mile paddle down the Grand Union Canal, navigating the 166 locks between Leicester and London, and sleeping alongside the tow path.
Having ‘given his new canoe a good try-out’ and become an expert at ‘learning j-strokes on the hoof’, Steve expects to arrive at the Tower of London in time for his birthday.
Stephen is taking on the challenge to raise much-needed funds for RMA – The Royal Marines Charity.
He said: “I normally tackle something to do with running to mark my birthdays, but decided to do something a bit different this year, something that’s a bit kinder on the knees!
“But it will still be tough. Portaging all those locks won’t be easy, the two one-mile tunnels will be challenging, and I’ll be enduring hardships in being completely self-sufficient along the way – but it’s all part of the Marines’ ethos.
“As a former Royal Marines Commando, it is important to me to give back to the Corps and its wider family. As a young Marine, it gave me so many life skills and values – I’m still grateful for those skills and implement its values on a daily basis.”
Stephen has already raised over £3,400 for the cause. Visit https://tinyurl.com/2s4x3n4k to donate.
