Paddling for a Purpose: 24 Hours on the River Dee for Mountain Rescue

Starting on May 24th, four friends – James Ibbotson, Alex McClure, Sam Wilson, and Eoghan Kelly – will take on a gruelling, round-the-clock challenge to raise funds for a cause close to our hearts: Mountain Rescue.

For 24 hours straight, we’ll be paddling an intense loop along the beautiful but demanding River Dee in Llangollen. Starting just below Horseshoe Falls, we’ll navigate down the grade 4 whitewater to Town Falls, hop out, hike back uphill to the canal, and paddle our way back to the top to begin the loop again. Each loop is around 6.5km, and we aim to complete it about 15 times—non-stop, rain or shine.

That means no sleep, only quick food stops, and continuous paddling through the day and night. This is going to push us to our physical and mental limits.

But why are we doing this?

Because we want to give back to the incredible Mountain Rescue Team—a group of volunteer heroes who dedicate their time, energy, and skills to helping people in the Peak District and beyond.

Whether it’s a lost hiker, an injured climber, or someone in serious trouble far from help, these volunteers are always ready to drop everything and respond. In all weather, day or night, they head into the hills to save lives—and they do it purely out of compassion and commitment to their community.

They rely entirely on donations to keep going. That’s where we come in—and hopefully, you too.

How you can help:

Please consider supporting our effort by donating whatever you can. Every pound raised will go directly to Mountain Rescue to help them continue their life-saving work.

We’re putting our bodies (and our sanity!) on the line for 24 hours—let’s make it count.

Thank you so much for your support!

— James, Alex, Sam & Eoghan