Mercer's Fundraising Challenge

Rowing...

Mercer's Troop row home for charity

During their recent, challenging six-month tour in Kosovo, G Parachute Battery (Mercer’s Troop) Royal Horse Artillery undertook a remarkable fundraising venture, when they were challenged by their physical training instructor to run and row back to Colchester.

Bombardier Leon Holdridge set any willing volunteers the task of covering the 1187k distance between their base in Pristina and Kirkee Barracks, their base in the UK, by each running 15k before rowing another 10k. With many entrants also recruited from outside the Battery, the competitors were pitted against each other in four-man teams. On 16 April Mercer’s Troop rose to the challenge and prevailed, with all participants completing the course and together raising over £2000 for charity.

and running!

“The 15k run was painful, to say the least, but the 10k row immediately afterwards was even worse. Hopefully the small amount of pain experienced in covering the 1187k between Pristina and Colchester will go some way to alleviating the real suffering of people far less fortunate.”

Major Crisp, Commanding Officer of G Parachute Battery

The event raised over £1000 each for the Army Benevolent Fund and Cancer Research.