Then on 29 July they’ll be rowing from Gorey to Cartaret. Each race will be about two-and-a-half hours long.
The inspiration for the rowing fundraisers was Carl’s daughter, seven-year-old Mont a L’Abbé pupil Megan, who has a rare genetic condition called Jacobsen Syndrome.
What is Jacobsen syndrome?
Jacobsen syndrome is a rare chromosomal disorder resulting from deletion of genes from chromosome 11.
It is estimated to occur in one in 100,000 newborns, and those with the condition struggle with delayed development of motor skills, speech, and cognitive ability.
For Megan, the condition means having lots of help and special attention.
“It’s difficult for her to get through to people”
She is unable to feed herself, had to wear a hearing aid until six months ago, and was unable to walk until she was four years old, requiring the use of a walking frame to get around. She is currently unable to speak.
Carl Gavey, Megan’s father, said: “She struggles to communicate. She’s learning sign language at the moment, and she can communicate in her own way, but it’s difficult for her to get through to people who don’t know her really really well.”
Video: Megan Gavey’s story.
He continued: “She still has great fun, plays games and has a really great character, but her basic senses are a bit delayed.
“When she was three, she was still not even a six-month-old baby in terms of ability.”
A chance at a normal start
However, thanks to the Jersey Child Care Trust, Megan was given the chance to have a relatively normal start in life.
The JCCT is a a local charity that has been helping to provide quality, affordable childcare to families since 1997.
Video: How the Jersey Child Care Trust changed Megan’s life.
Not only did the charity help to fund Meghan’s place at nursery but they also provided a support worker, Jayne Winch, who provided much needed one-on-one care for Megan during her time there.
Giving back
Now, Carl has enlisted his friends to help him give back to the charity.
To raise some cash, they have decided to take on two major rowing challenges in a single month: the (in)famous Sark-to-Jersey, and then Gorey to Carteret.
Of the group, only Dave has rowed before. Unsurprisingly, the whole thing was his idea.
Pictured- from left to right: Dave Carpenter, Carl Gavey, Stephen Prosser, Joel Speight and Alex Sieroczuk.
After a few hours of discussion at the pub, he managed too win over the rest of the team.
From ‘have a go’… to a three-times-a-week row
Following their first ‘have-a-go’ row hosted by the Jersey Rowing Club in February, the crew have been busy training and are trying to get out two or three times a week to prepare.
Joel Speight, who modestly claimed he had found his time of the oars the most challenging: “We’re all enjoying it, we’re all enjoying the challenge together… When we first went out in February, it was the first time I’d been out in a rowing boat before.”
When asked how he was feeling for their chances in their first race, he confidently stated: “We’re in a better place than we were a few days ago.”
Of the upcoming race, Carl said: “We just wanted the chance to raise some money, and put back in a little bit of what we got out, and see if we can help them support another child like Megan.”
DONATE…
The ‘All 4 Megan’ crew are raising money for the Jersey Child Care Trust. You can find out more about the charity’s work HERE.
To donate to their JustGiving page, you can click HERE.