A group of Oxford University medical students, part of the Tingewick Society, battled intense rain as they rowed 170km from Oxford to London for charity.
The team, most of whom work and train in the John Radcliffe Hospital, are on a mission to raise around £40,000 throughout the year by putting on a series of events and challenges for two causes, Oxford Hospitals Charity and Yellow Submarine.
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The epic rowathon was organised by Osler House Boat Club, a medic run sports team, and despite the grim weather the team of twenty medical students completed the course and raised over £3,000 to support the two charities and also help the student boat club.
One of the organisers, Alex Wood, said: "The row to London was a huge challenge, both physically and in terms of organisation.
“I’m so proud of everyone for taking on the challenge and seeing it through to the end, even despite a lot of unforeseen bumps in the road - a huge thanks to Mike Landers from Marlow for helping us out in a pinch, and full credit to Bethan Storey for her incredible planning.
“Thanks also to everyone who donated to our amazing Tingewick charities and our boat club, so we can keep our clinical medical students out on the water."
Naomi Stewart Hall from Oxford Hospitals Charity, which raises funds to provide extra support for hospitals in the county, said: “The weather was absolutely grim this weekend, making an already epic event even more challenging, but these medical students never give up. “We are in awe of their spirit and tenacity, and incredibly grateful for all they do to help Oxford Hospitals Charity support patients and staff in our hospitals.”
Ella O’Brien from Yellow Submarine, an Oxfordshire charity that supports adults and young people with learning disabilities and autism live their life to the full, added: “It’s great that these medical students have chosen Yellow Submarine as one of their charities, and we really appreciate all their efforts like this, to raise funds and bring visibility to people with learning disabilities.”
To support the student’s efforts you can visit the fundraising page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/osler-row-to-london-again.
The students are part of a group called the Tingewick Society, which is led by a group of 29 medical students at Oxford University, called the Tingewick Firm.
The group work together to raise money for chosen charities, and also complete all their clinical placements together.
Throughout the year, they put on a variety of events for the other medical students, as well as for the general public, all with the aim of raising money for the two charities, which are chosen at the beginning of each year.
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This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.
Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1
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