Rushden cadets get on their bikes, boots, swimsuits and lycra for 8,900 mile Olympic challenge

A group of young people and volunteer staff from a Rushden youth group have set of on an epic trek to Japan in time for the Olympic Games but they without setting foot out of the county.

Rushden Sea Cadets vowed to get active to fight their lockdown blues by setting themselves the challenge of racking up 8,900 miles walking, swimming, cycling or rowing the distance to Tokyo.

Together with their supporters, they have been working as a team to walk, cycle, row, swim or run from Rushden, with the aim of getting there before the opening ceremony on July 23 - travelling (virtually) through 24 countries.

David Pickles, chairman of Rushden Sea Cadets and challenge organiser said: “The main purpose of this challenge is to motivate people to get outside and keep active.

"The pandemic is having an impact on everybody’s lives and regardless of age, this has been a challenge for many of us, including isolation from friends, being confined to our homes, or worries that family or friends might get sick, and all of this is naturally taking its toll on our wellbeing.”

"After 12-months of living with Covid-19, many of us are struggling to stay fit and healthy, but starting on Wednesday, April 7 being ‘World Health Day’ a group of volunteer staff and youngsters from Rushden Sea Cadets have found a great way to keep themselves and their supporters active, in a bid to improve their physical and mental wellbeing.

The Olympic Games will be taking place in Tokyo this summer, after being postponed last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, so the Sea Cadets decided to set themselves an incredible challenge.

As well as boosting their physical and mental wellbeing, the event is also raising sponsorship money to help fund a series of fun activities for the cadets once lockdown restrictions ease.

Fundraising opportunities have been extremely limited over the past 12 months and the group relies on donations to be able to keep supporting local youngsters.

So far the group has raised almost £500. To support their fundraising visit their JustGiving page by clicking here.Rushden Sea Cadets is part of the national Marine Society and Sea Cadets Charity - a youth organisation that provides a wide range of fun activities to over 15,000 youngsters between the age of 10-18, at almost 400 locations throughout the UK.

As well getting involved in fun and challenging activities, such as sailing, windsurfing, rowing and power boating, they also learn about aviation, cyber security, catering and many other activities – all whilst gaining confidence and learning skills for life.

You can learn more about Rushden Sea Cadets by visiting their webpage or find them on Facebook @SeaCadetsRushden or Instagram @SeaCadetsRushden.