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Sandra Chapman Centre receives donation after kayak challenge

03 July 2023

 

A £4,000 donation has been handed over to our Sandra Chapman Centre and Ward 17 after a 40-mile Kayak challenge undertaken by members of the Suffolk Freemasons Orient Lodge, based in Lowestoft.

Three men from the Suffolk Freemasons Orient Lodge are pictured with members of our Sandra Chapman team and Maxine from our hospital charity. Maxine and the three men sit in chairs, with Maxine closest to the camera. Two of the men hold a large cheque. Behind them, standing up, are five members of the Sandra Chapman team including one senior nurse in a dark blue uniform, two staff nurses in light blue uniforms, a lady in a green uniform and a man wearing blue scrubs. They are in the atrium of the centre, with large conservatory-style glass windows behind them.

Bro Ian Moir, Chaplain of Orient Lodge 4085, supported by members of the Lowestoft Volunteer Lifeguard Corps and the Orient Lodge support team, undertook a 40-mile kayak paddle around Lowestoft, Gorleston and Burgh Castle in August 2022 to raise money.

Starting at the Lifeguards Lowestoft beach headquarters they headed up the coast to the mouth of the River Yare between Gorleston and Great Yarmouth before following the river inland to Burgh Castle and then taking the River Waveney via St Olaves back through Oulton Broad to Lowestoft, completing the kayak paddle over the course of two days.

Six men are pictured with three red-orange colour kayaks on Lowestoft beach. The kayaks are on the sand, with the sea immediately behind them. Each of the six men hold a kayak paddle with the paddle end up near their heads. The kayak are full of gear and there is a Union Jack flag attached to one end of the middle kayak. The men wear shorts, tops and life jackets, with five of the six also wearing a hat.

The route was designed to circle the James Paget via the waterways. Through sponsorship and fundraising the team managed to raise a total of £4,000 and on Thursday, 29 June, members of the lodge visited to formally hand over the donation to staff at the Sandra Chapman Centre and Maxine Taylor, our hospital charity manager.

John Holland, one of the lodge members who came along, said the fundraising had been a real team effort to raise money in memory of his wife Josie who had received treatment in the Centre and Ward 17.

Maxine said; “We’d like to thank everyone involved in the kayak and everyone who supported the fundraising. This generous donation will purchase two more of the specialist chairs which provide additional comfort for patients receiving treatment for cancer. This will directly benefit those using the Centre and the Ward and we’re grateful for your support.”

The Lodge’s 2023 Chaplain’s Challenge will be raising money to support Lowestoft girl Jessica Butler and will take place between 11th and 13th August. You can find out more about this event, which will see the team kayak up the east coast from the Woodbridge area to Pakefield, here; https://orientlodge4085.org/chaplains-challenge.html