After dedicating his life to providing access to the sea for all disabled people, quadriplegic adventurer Geoff Holt MBE DL has announced that he will be embarking on his latest voyage, Finishing the Dream, demonstrating that there are no limits to our dreams.
To celebrate 40 years in a wheelchair, Geoff will be skippering a boat around the UK in a disability accessible Wetwheels boat in aid of the Wetwheels Foundation, the charity he founded to enable barrier-free opportunities on the water for all to support health, wellbeing and create special memories.
Taking on 1,500 miles around the UK coastline over a four to six week timeframe, departing on 13 May, Geoff will have a fundraising target of £1.2m for four new Wetwheels boats, offering life-changing experiences to over 5,000 of the most profoundly disabled people each year.
The Lord Mayor of London, Michael Mainelli, will set Geoff off from St. Katharine’s Dock, London before returning to the same location in June. He will be making 17 key stops to inspire and fundraise for more Wetwheels boats. The route is estimated to take him four to six weeks and he will have a small support team following the journey.
After leaving London, Geoff will head west along the South Coast, calling in at ports to help raise awareness of his adventure. He will also take time to say hello to the eight current Wetwheels locations that are responsible for delivering thousands of boat trips around the UK each year to disabled people.
Geoff Holt MBE DL said: “Knowing the challenges that lay ahead, this will be the most daring and demanding project I have ever undertaken. I have been in a wheelchair for 40 years this year, although wiser and more experienced, my body is not as forgiving as it once was. The 1,500 mile journey will be a test for not only my physical endurance but also a mental challenge as I juggle the logistics of navigating through some of the most dangerous and congested waters in the world.
“Only when I cross the finish line back in London and we hit our fundraising targets, I will allow myself to relax. Meanwhile, I look forward to another amazing journey around our beautiful country and meeting friends old and new. Hopefully, by demonstrating that a quadriplegic, 40 years paralysed from the chest down, still has the ability to achieve his dreams will inspire more disabled people to find out about Wetwheels and support the amazing work we do.”
Scheduled visits:
London, St Katharine’s Dock
Dover
Portsmouth
Torbay
Falmouth
Dale
Holyhead
Belfast
Tobermory
Stornoway
Scrabster
Peterhead
Edinburgh
North Shields
Whitby
Lowestoft
London
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