L&Q staff raise an oar-some £35,000 for charity

Sixty rowers from L&Q have taken to the Thames to raise £35,000 for charity.

Teams from across the housing association raced along an 8.5 mile stretch of the river between Chelsea and Deptford to fundraise for Crisis.

The event marked the first time that any organisation has fundraised for the charity with a boat race.

The Thames Meridian Pull Challenge, which was organised by the Ahoy! Centre in Deptford, saw ten teams competing to be the first across the first across the finish line.

The race was won by the executive crew, going by the team name Executive Oar-der, who finished in one hour and 14 minutes.

The rowers raised £15,000 for L&Q’s corporate charity Crisis, contributing towards the total of £50,000 the housing association has pledged to help tackle homelessness during the two-year partnership.

A further £20,000 was given to the Ahoy! Centre, which offers rowing training to young and disabled people.

David Montague, CEO of L&Q, said: “Rowing down the Thames past iconic landmarks such as Big Ben and the Millennium Wheel was an incredible experience that I don’t think anyone involved will ever forget.

“It was great to see everyone pulling together towards the finishing line, and we are all delighted to have achieved our shared goal of raising money for Crisis in the process.

“We would like to thank the Ahoy! Centre for doing such a brilliant job of training all the teams and making sure the event ran smoothly.”

For more information on the Thames Meridian Pull Challenge and other fundraising events, please visit https://www.ahoy.org.uk