Fifteen years ago today, Double Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell broke the Guinness world record for paddling the English Channel on a surfboard. It was his second attempt in a week and incredibly, he made the journey in five hours and 26 minutes – beating the previous record by nearly an hour and a half. Splash’s Simon Poole led and organised both attempts and was also Cracknell’s safety and boat support team.
Fifteen years on, Simon continues to support those pushing the boundaries with adventures with purpose – both in and out of the water.
Kayak 4 Heroes
Splash Projects is proud to be the lead partner for the first ever all veteran para-team to take on a 1400km Kayak from Lands’ End to John O’Groats. The Kayak 4 Heroes team will have to work together to overcome their respective injuries in order to succeed and hope to inspire the next generation of disabled athletes and explorers by doing so.
Splash is built on military foundations and values and therefore feels an extremely strong connection to these incredible athletes who have all suffered significant injuries during their service to our nation. The determination, selfless commitment and positive approach demonstrate just some of the qualities that Splash hopes to embed into your teams during our projects.
This is a true adventure with a purpose that demonstrates the pioneering mind-set we can ignite in teams to push boundaries and demonstrate what is possible when human spirit and drive come together to deliver something far greater than ourselves.
The challenge takes place in July 2021. Kayak 4 Heroes is hoping to raise over £100,000 for charities supporting our nation’s heroes – the Armed Forces Para-Snowsports Team (AFPST) and the Association for the Independence of Disabled People (AID). If you would like to donate, please click here for their Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kayak4heroes
Action Response
Splash Projects is also delighted to introduce its own “Action Response” challenges – adventures with a purpose that will be open to any team of 4 to 8 to take part.
We will be launching Action Response challenges next year in Singapore, Hong Kong, UK and South Africa. To express interest in Action Response, or find out more, please contact us on info@splashprojects.com.
Elizabeth Winfield (left) is both the Chief Operating Officer for the Kayak 4 Heroes challenge as well as Splash Project’s Action Response Project Leader. Elizabeth has a unique skill set gained from impressive experience in the elite sports world, the charity sector and 18 years’ military service. This diverse background is driven by her passion for adventure and a drive to take people on a journey of discovery.
Darren Clarke (left) is Splash Project’s Action Response Project Director. He has over 30 years’ experience in Adventure, expeditions and training having held a range of commercial, charitable and operational roles – including being the first person to run 3000 km across Africa raising awareness for water scarcity and elephants, wild camping and following elephant migration routes from the north west of Namibia to Mozambique.
