Crew list confirmed for April’s London to Paris row in aid of industry charity.
The crew list for April’s epic London to Paris row in aid of The Light Fund has been confirmed, with execs from across a number of sectors of the industry set to pick up their oars.
The event – which is aiming to raise £50,000 for The Light Fund – begins on Saturday, April 27 at London’s Tower Bridge. The aim is to cover seven consecutive days of rowing, with the plan to arrive in Paris on May 4 (although this is weather dependent).
The crew is as follows:
Rob Corney (md of Bulldog Licensing) – Rob has been rowing for over 20 years since starting at Durham University. He continues a very active engagement in the sport and has participated in previous endurance events, including The Light Fund Malta Swim.
Graham Saltmarsh (director of licensing, Northern Europe, Cartoon Network) – although Graham has no rowing experience, he has participated in recent endurance events, having spent four days at Nuremburg Toy Fair (it felt longer). His maritime experience includes the one-time sinking of a pedalo.
Marise Tallon-Gevaux – works as a programme manager in HR and, when she’s not competing in Iron Man or Triathlon events, she is rescuing cats (6 at the last count). She has extensive rowing experience and, in addition to the London 2 Paris, plans to compete in the Copenhagen and Florida Ironman competitions this year.
Jason Goonery (licensing co-ordinator for SEGA) – although he is a novice rower, Jason has extensive experience of endurance events having run several marathons and participated in Tough Mudder, the Spartan Race and a 24-hour race.
Sion Aykroyd (director of Aykroyds & Sons) – Sion has no rowing experience but has taken on a number of endurance events previously, including a Tough Mudder, the 3 Peaks Challenge, the Cardiff Half Marathon and an Everest Base Camp Trek.
Sam Coates – is an engineering consultant with WSP who started rowing in April 2018.
Adam Robson (sales Director with Aykroyds and Sons) – has previously taken on the 3 Peaks Challenge and Tough Mudder to raise money for the Brain Tumour Charity (which is close to the hearts of all at Aykroyds). He is a rowing novice, though his short arms and legs makes him a natural for coxing (apparently)!
Jenny Honeyball – is an engineering helpdesk manager with Landmark Facilities Management. She has competed in the pole vault at national level and has run in two London Marathons.
Rob Broadhurst (sales and licensing for Aykroyds & Sons) – sporting accomplishments were most notable on the rugby pitch, though he did take on the Equinox Run for The Light Fund in 2018. He is hopeful that many hours in the boat during the L2P will serve to improve his agricultural technique… (we’re not sure if this is a joke…)
Sam Ferguson (vp global licensing for Jazwares) – is a keen sportsman but is entering the row off the back of a serious injury which required surgery to a ruptured tricep just 6 months ago. This, coupled with the recent birth of his daughter means Sam is hoping the L2P will help reform his Dad Bod back to its former glory, but hopes the chafing from the lycra won’t be too inglorious…
Elliott Matthews (md of Poetic Brands) – comes to the L2P with no rowing experience, but plenty of time on a bike having competed in a number of distance challenges. Although this means he’s at home in lycra, he is so far unsure of his seasickness rating.
Ben Harrison (vp in the HR team at Sega Europe) – has extensive sporting experience and regularly participates in triathlon competitions.
James Kyte – after stints at both Pyramid and Thumbs Up, James is now the commercial director for the Youth Sports Trust, a charity which is passionate about creating a future in which every child enjoys the life-changing benefit that comes from play and sport. James has played rugby to a good standard and has been a keen indoor rower for several years and is particularly excited by the prospect which the L2P affords of sitting mid-point in the Channel, in the pouring rain, benefitting from the coaching of Rob after 43 hours without sleep…
Matt French (licensing manager for Sambro) – has been a keen footballer for many years and enjoys running, but the L2P will be his first rowing event.
Although there are enough crew members on board to take on the event, there is still space for one more.
Sponsorship opportunities for the row will be unveiled soon. Interested parties should contact Rob for full details on robc@bulldog-licensing.com or call 020 8325 5455.
Want to read more news like this? Simply sign up to our daily digest by clicking here. You can also follow @LicensingSource on Twitter.
