Local man to take on charity row-a-thon

Story posted on February 28, 2023

A MELKSHAM man is due to row a half marathon on Thursday 13th April at the Melksham Community Campus, in aid of a local children’s hospice charity.

Richard Newman plans to row 13.1 miles, 21,000 meters, for Julia’s House that supports the families of children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions across Wiltshire and Dorset.

Aiming to complete the challenge in 1 hour and 45 minutes Richard said, “I used to run marathons for charity but my knees aren’t what they were so I have decided to do a sponsored row for Julia’s House instead.

“The reason for choosing Julia’s House is because it’s a charity that is close to my heart. I think they do such fantastic work. I am a father myself and can’t imagine how stressful it must be for a child to have a life-limiting or life-threatening condition.”

To train for the event, Richard has been doing a mix of running, cycling, gym and rowing work. He said, “With seven weeks to go, I will start to ramp up the rowing now. I have to say that the staff at the Melksham Community Campus have been so supportive and accommodating with this.”

At the time of writing, Richard has raised £220. He said, “I am an employee of Aster Group in Devizes, Julia’s House is based there too and they are one of the Aster Group’s chosen charities to support. They have said that they will double what I manage to raise.”

To donate and support Richard’s row-a-thon for Julia’s House, visit his Just Giving page via this link, https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/richard-newman27

The event will take place at 2pm at Melksham Community Campus on Thursday 13th April.

Pictured: Richard Newman in training