After a drought in paddling for 30 years, local hero Peter Emeleus is dusting off his paddle to raise funds for Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and South Lincolnshire Mind.

On Monday the 24th August, Peter Emeleus and his son Harry paddled from Buckden where they live, to Ely along the Great River Ouse, a distance of over 30 miles. Henry, Corrine and Julius the cat cheered them along and were their support crew all the way to the finish.

The paddle was organised to raise money and awareness for CPSL Mind. Organiser, Peter explains, “We as a family, know first-hand that the Covid 19 Pandemic is effecting all of us. Harry (12), Henry (10), Corrine and I, would like to do something to help those who have suffered more than most.  Most of us will experience mental health problems at some point, in our lives. CPSL Mind is a regional branch of the national Mind charity which supports mental health issues.”.

Catherine Keating, Community Fundraiser for CPSL Mind said, “The Covid-19 pandemic is affecting people’s mental wellbeing in many different ways and, in response to increased levels of anxiety, isolation and loneliness, we have adapted our existing services – and developed new ones. Adults in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough can now sign up to Qwell – a free online support and wellbeing community – as part of our Good Life Service. You can join Qwell immediately and anonymously through any connected device where you will have access to counselling. There have been 627 separate individuals who have been helped by this service over the last 3 months.”

With demand for our services remaining high we are extremely grateful to Andy for highlighting the importance of exercise and mental health. The runners helped to raise awareness and funding for our services – a huge thank to everyone involved.

Anyone wishing to do so, can contribute at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/peter-harry-buckden-ely-paddle