Three weeks after the 2011 race, one of the competitors, Dr Jenny Bucknell from Cardiff University Rowing Club (CURC), sadly passed away from an undiagnosed heart condition. Jenny had always been a keen and competitive sportswoman, swimming competitively from the age of six until 21 when she took up rowing because the "CURC squad seemed like a bunch of nice people!". The 2011 race was her 2nd WEHoRR and her crew achieved their best ever result finishing in 72nd place overall.

CURC start 53rd this year, with several crew members who were part of last year's squad alongside Jenny, and will undoubtedly have her in mind as they build on last year's result.

Sudden cardiac death is the leading cause of death in young athletes. In 1995, Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) was formed to raise awareness of conditions that can cause sudden death in young people. CRY's founder, Alison Cox observes: "Sudden death syndrome strikes down hundreds of young people at the prime of their lives - many of whom will have been actively involved in sport."

CRY organises free screening events for anyone aged 14 to 35 where people can be tested to determine if they are at risk. These events occur every other weekend in St George's, Tooting, as well as at locations around the country. For details see here: http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/ecg.htm.

Patrons of CRY with a connection to rowing include James Cracknell, Sir Steven Redgrave, Andrew Triggs-Hodge and Matt Wells. For more information about CRY, see their website at http://www.c-r-y.org.uk.

If you have a charity you would like to promote at our event please contact the committee and we will try to accommodate you.