by David Bates
Trio attempt endurance feat for caravan charity
A Portsmouth trio are readying themselves for a 24-hour endurance challenge in aid of the Oakley Waterman Caravan Foundation (OWCF).
Tomorrow (15 August), Dave and Lee Waterman, along with friend Gavin Jones, will take to Hornchurch Country Park for the 24-hour Spitfire Challenge to raise funds for Waterman’s charity, which he founded to fulfil the ambition of his late son Oakley.
Former Portsmouth Defender Waterman’s son suffered from Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer, and died in 2005. Oakley enjoyed caravan holidays at Sussex site Church Farm , so much so, that he urged his parents to invest in a caravan for children in a similar position to enjoy.
The OCWF since purchased another spot at Devon Cliffs near Exeter.
The Waterman brothers and Jones are marking the tenth anniversary of Oakley’s death, and the charity’s foundation, with this remarkable push for funding to secure a replacement caravan for their Church Farm site.
The race, which is normally run in relays, will be tackled by the trio simultaneously; they expect to cover over 100 miles over the day and night.
Jones acknowledged that their training regime has been brutal: “We’ve been training at 1am and 3am in the morning to try to get our bodies used to it. It’s a killer.”
The race will undoubtedly will be further torture, but the three men are powerfully motivated. “We won’t quit, though, because it’s for Oakley,” Jones insisted.
You can contribute towards a daunting challenge and a wonderful cause here.
