Paddleboard Marathon for Hastings and Rother Samaritans

“ Old men ought to be explorers”, wrote T.S. Elliot in The Four Quartets, but looking at Gareth Dyer – tall, lean and very physically fit - there is no way the phrase ‘old men’ comes to mind, inspite of his 77 years. But ‘explorer’ he definitely is, in the sense that he is always seeking out newchallenges to set himself, whether it’s wind surfing, canoeing, mountaineering or rock climbing ( check out the Old Man of Stoer, the 220ft sea cliff, which he has climbed).

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His latest adventure involves a stand-up paddle-board marathon along the 28 mile Royal Military Canal, starting from Pett Level and finishing at Hythe. With a two day dry weather window and ideally a light south west breeze, he hopes to do this in April to avoid too much spring weed growth, the first day going from Pett Level to Warehorne, and from there to finishing at Hythe on the second day.

Paddle boarding engages the core muscles, and works the chest, abdomen, back, as well as the arms and legs. It’s essentially a two day cardio and strength workout, standing and paddling for 7 hours a day, which would probably test a man half his age.

It’s not just the physical aspect that appeals to Gareth: “This kind of paddle boarding, when I’m alone on calm flat water, can be wonderful and meditative”, he said . “It’s not only good for physical health, but also for mental health, being alone in nature. With luck, I might even see a kingfisher or two.”

Enthusiastic about outdoors sports, he’s also passionate about volunteering and supporting his local branch of Samaritans. “Hastings and Rother Samaritans is entirely self-funding – most people don’t know that they have to raise every penny themselves to cover their running costs.

"It takes approx. £14,000 a year to keep open, and that doesn’t include any building upkeep of the old Victorian premises.

"I’m paddle boarding the RMC to fundraise for the maintenance and refurbishment of the branch so we can continue to raise awareness amongst the local community of who we are and what we do.

"The upgrading of the operations room is much needed so that we can continue our service to callers in the most efficient way.

“Samaritans volunteers give freely of their time to keep lines open 24/7 for anyone in emotional crisis, so it’s a really worthwhile cause. ”

If you are walking by the side of the Royal Military Canal this spring then, with luck you might spot a kingfisher - or that other rare species: a long lean man on a paddleboard - with a mission.

If you want to support Hastings and Rother Samaritans and contribute to Gareth’s cause, go to https://samaritanscommunity.enthuse.com/ccp/5326a/fundraiser#!/ ,