Richard Hunt, a former SHU student, is about to embark on an epic voyage – circumnavigating the coastline of mainland UK– all 2300+ miles of it! Apart from being a great feat in itself, it is even more impressive because he only has one leg! Richard is an above the knee amputee following an accident whilst serving in the Royal Navy.
He is raising funds for the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen’s Association (BLESMA) and to help people understand the great work that they do for military personnel (and their families) who suffer the loss of their limbs or eye sight. For the first couple of years after his amputation, Richard found it difficult to come to terms with the loss of his limb. BLESMA helped him to regain his perspective and confidence. Proud to be a BLESMA member, Richard will be forever grateful to them for all the help that he has been given over the years.
Through this challenge Richard wants to show others that having a disability is not the end, but instead a new beginning and what better way of doing that than to undertake a challenge that only a handful of people have ever completed in one go and even fewer have completed solo. (He could also beat Helen Skelton’s solo kayak distance Guinness World Record, which stands at 2010 miles.)
Please support him by donating to whatever you can to www.justgiving.com/richieoneleg. You can also find out more about him and the challenge by visiting www.thegreatpaddleround.co.uk or www.facebook.com/TheGreatPaddleRound