And she’s off: Night Vision Challenge

Phoebe has, this evening – Sunday, September 29, 2019 – set off on her 300-mile night kayak with her friend and co-conspirator in adventure Dr John Pike.

They left from Benson in Oxfordshire bound to follow an anti-clockwise route around the waterways that make up the entire patch that Thames Valley Air Ambulance (who John is a doctor for) cover.

Phoebe and John with the special helicopter equipment that is vital for night flying

The aim is to show just how big the patch is that TVAA cover – encompassing 3 counties (Oxfordshire; Berkshire and Buckinghamshire) an area the chopper can cover in just 45 minute but will take them 10 days – and yet the organisation receives no Government or Lottery funding, every penny comes from charitable donations from individuals.

They will be kayaking at night only and on one of the evenings will have to take the kayak out of the water and do a 30-mile night hike over the area near the Uffington White Horse.

Phoebe and John with Craig – of Marsport Reading – who kindly provided the kayak for the challenge

They have been blessed with a number of kind supporters – from Marsport in Reading who is providing the kayak, paddles and safety gear, to Terra Nova (tents), Exped (camping mats), Cotswold Outdoor (sleeping bags), Jetboil (lightweight camp stove), Petzl (headtorches), Ortlieb (dry bags) and Ordnance Survey (map).

Watch Phoebe’s social media channels closely as, during the day, John and Phoebe will be doing pop-up talks around the region sharing tales of their adventures and giving insight into a day in the life of the Air Ambulance. They will be revealing their locations daily (and nightly) using the free location app, what3words (who partnered with TVAA in August) to encourage the public in the three counties to download it, as it can be vital for the teams to quickly locate casualties in a precise 3x3metre square, anywhere in the country. It will be the first adventure ever undertaken using the app.

Not the weather that’s forecast for Phoebe and John’s challenge, but they will hit the water come what may…

Phoebe will be using the words generated by what3words each day to create a special Night Vision Challenge poem to share on social media. This will bring together two of her favourite things – words and adventure.

For more info check out her Night Vision page. And, of course, to donate to TVAA go to her and John’s fundraising team page.

Thanks so much in advance for your support. Do pop down and say hello (bring coffee and cakes) if you like – they will both be pleased to see you!