Success for our 2023 Canoe Challenge

Age UK Lancashire’s annual Canoe Challenge was a resounding success again with 14 fundraisers rowing a combined 300+ miles on the Lancaster Canal. This was all to raise much needed funds for the charity to support older people in Lancashire.

Julie Smith was one of our amazing fundraisers who took part in our Canoe Challenge because of the support we’d recently provided to her Dad. She said: 

“My dad suffers from vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s and had a fall last October. He was in a nursing home for a while and Age UK Lancashire supported with his care as he came home.”     

Julie took on the challenge alongside her husband Steve, son Callum, and sister-in-law Helen. Naming themselves ‘Oars we there yet’, they worked as a team to row the 25 miles from the Hand and Dagger Pub in Preston all the way to Waterwitch Pub in Lancaster.  

Julie commented on the challenge:  

“It was tough to do, but it’s really good and the scenery is just amazing as you’re going past.” 

Two Canoe Challenge regulars are brothers, David and Andrew, who were taking part in their fourth event this year having already raised thousands of pounds for Age UK Lancashire in previous years.  

David said:  

“It’s a really good bonding session for me and my brother and at the same time we both like doing things for charity and helping out where we can.” 

Thank you to all our fundraisers who took part in our 2023 Canoe Challenge and to our volunteers without whom we wouldn’t be able to run these events. Finally, thank you to those who have donated, your donations will be used to support our vital services such as our free helpline that takes over 10,000 calls each year and Information and Advice service. 

You can still donate by clicking the link here. No matter how big or small, your donation is really important to Age UK Lancashire and goes a long way to help local older people.

If you’d like to do a fundraiser with us, click here to see our upcoming fundraising events.