Sharon Jessop is once again in the thick of things for our rhinos with the launch of yet another record-breaking attempt to raise much-needed funds for their protection. But this time round the #makeyourmilesmatter campaign is incorporating the sporting discipline of indoor rowing!
However, the teams are not simply rowing, they are each aiming to set new Guinness World Records in their respective categories.
What started more than 3 years ago during lockdown with Jessop running 102 consecutive half marathons for a new Guinness World Record has continued to grow into something much bigger.
And now it’s the turn of two mixed teams of rowers to buckle down on the 4th & 5th of August to break not one but two Guinness World Records – and all in support of an extremely worthy cause.
The two teams, one team all in the sixty-plus age category, will be rowing for 24 hours in 30-minute shifts to set the two new records. This will all happen at the Atrium inside the Boardwalk Mall, Gqeberha, kicking off at 3 pm on Friday the 4th of August.
Rhinos are a keystone species – this is a species that helps define an entire ecosystem. Without the keystone species, the ecosystem would be dramatically different or cease to exist altogether, thus EVERY RHINO MATTERS. that rhinos are not
The beneficiary is the Community Conservation Fund Africa (CCFA), and the funds raised will go towards the Rhino Legacy Project at Nyosi Wildlife Reserve, a peri-urban reserve just outside Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The CCFA is a registered non-profit company borne to address the urgent need for community development to benefit Africa’s wild animals and wilderness areas. CCFA works at the intersection between conservation, ecotourism, and is active in educating and empowering local communities in conservation areas.
The Redhouse Rowing Club, Grey High School Rowing team, and a bunch of enthusiastic rhino warriors have all committed to not only staying awake, but rowing for 24 hours too!
The two days of indoor rowing and record attempts will be action-packed and fun as there will also be many activities for the supporters and general public. Members of the public can participate in rowing varying distances on the indoor rowing machines to try and understand what the participants are experiencing. There will be games and raffles of amazing prizes such as weekends away, and all the proceeds of the games and raffles will also be donated to the teams’ fundraising efforts. So do come down to the Boardwalk Mall on Friday the 4th and Saturday the 5th of August to support these brave souls in their quest to contribute to rhino conservation.T
The Row for Rhinos team is appealing to members of the public and to corporate organizations to dig deep and donate towards this effort and they can do so by simply clicking on a live link: https://sportforlives.org/campaigns/row-for-lives-row-for-rhinos-24-hour-rowathon/
Local businesses and corporate organizations will be eligible for Section 18(a) donations certificates.
Says Taryn Gillson, the Executive Director of the CCFA and one of the 24-Hour Rowathon participants: “A donation of just R100 protects a rhino for 1 hour, or it feeds a rhino for a day AND educates a child from the local community about their natural heritage.”
For more information visit the Facebook Event, Row for Rhinos 24-Hour Rowathon, or contact organizer Sharon Jessop on mobile number 061 510 4657 or on email sjessop886@gmail.com
