An Oxfordshire man is preparing to paddleboard across the English Channel to raise funds for children’s cancer research in memory of his 10-year-old niece.
John Bartlett, 56, from Garsington, is taking on the challenge in memory of Pearl Dixie BartlettBundy, who passed away in 2017 after being diagnosed with a form of bone cancer called Ewing sarcoma.
He, alongside his brother, and Pearl’s dad, Jamie, is raising funds for #PearlPower, a Special Named Fund set up in her name at CCLG: The Children & Young People’s Cancer Association. The fund, set up by Jamie and his wife Rachel, who live in Sussex, raises money for research into finding kinder, more effective treatments for all types of childhood cancer with poor outcomes.
Since its inception, it has raised more than £125,000, including £2,500 by John and Jamie when they took on their first punishing paddleboarding adventure in 2023, which saw them cover 100km from Scotland’s west coast to its east coast during Storm Babet.
The pair are now hard at work in preparation for their second ‘Paddle4Pearl’, which they’ll undertake the week commencing 04 August. The 26.5 nautical-mile slog, which they hope will raise more than £10,000 for the fund, will be a test of the brothers’ physical and mental endurance.
John, a design management lead in the aviation and rail sector, has also completed various other long-distance challenges in aid of #PearlPower, and from experience, he believes the hardest aspect of the challenge will be in the final hours leading up to it, when nerves will be at their peak.
He said, “We’re anxious and excited about the challenge. On the day, it’s about being calm and not panicking, but it is the unknown, it is the sea.
“We’ve done some serious hours and miles on the board, but you do get quite significant anxiety, especially leading up to these types of challenges, thinking, ‘can I actually do this?’ But it’s healthy, to be honest.
“I’ve done quite a few challenges in the past that push you physically and mentally. I did the North Coast 500 twice, which was six days of solid cycling.
“And the rush you get from completing extreme challenges is immense, and the memories from it. I know what the feeling will be like once we’ve finished. It will be very short-lived, because of the pain we’ll be in, but it will be a great feeling.”
John said that taking on the challenge with Jamie will be a special experience and spoke of honouring Pearl’s legacy and the importance of fundraising for research, which will help support children with cancer in the future.
John said, “I’m looking forward to doing it with Jamie because we’ve both had some tough times, and we’ve just really formed a very strong bond over the last few years.
“When Pearl was ill, I was there a lot. I think about what Pearl went through, and it pushes you to get on with it.
“It was so painful to all of us to see Pearl in so much pain, and I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.
“She was an exceptional girl. I want to make sure people talk about Pearl. Things like this make sure Pearl lives on and keeps the spirit of Pearl alive.
“This is my commitment to doing that. I’ve done quite a few events, and it fosters memories and conversations.
“And anything we can do to diffuse the level of impact on families in the future, and alleviate the pain of children, is so important.”
Vicki Brunt, CCLG’s Head of Fundraising, said: “We’re wishing Jamie and John the best of luck for their incredible challenge. We can’t thank them enough for their efforts, which will help us change the future for children with cancer.”
