Burnham rowers to take on 12-hour relay race in memory of ‘true gentleman’ Hugo

Opportunity to remember - fellow rowers will take part to honour Hugo, pictured on the front row in blue. (Credit: JustGiving)

KEEN rowers will take on a 12-hour “dawn to dusk” relay race in memory of their friend this Saturday (June 28), raising funds for charity.

Members of Burnham On Crouch Coastal Rowing Club will complete the non-stop fundraiser to honour their friend and former club secretary, Hugo Hodge, who died suddenly last October.

Hugo was an active sportsman and vice chairman of St Luke’s Hospice, a charity which provides end of life and palliative care.

His friend, Jeremy Cousins MBE, told Caroline Coastal: “Hugo was a true gentleman who is missed by all who knew him.

“He was a keen member of the club who took part in many activities, including the Great River Race, a boat race covering 21.6 miles from Millwall to Richmond.

“Saturday’s row is organised by the club’s social secretary, Sarah Mason, and gives us the opportunity to join together to remember Hugo.”

Rowers will start at 6am, swapping every 40 minutes until 6pm.

Members of the public are invited to cheer the team on, and to enjoy a picnic on the grass outside the RNLI Burnham-on-Crouch Lifeboat Station in Foundry Lane.

Money raised during the continuous race will contribute to a fundraiser set up by Hugo’s widow, Deborah Tyler. The campaign has already raised nearly £8,500.

Charity - Hugo pictured with his fellow volunteers, raising funds for St Luke's Hospice. (Credit: JustGiving)

Deborah completed the Dovedale Peak Way Challenge for St Luke’s Hospice last month, as she and Hugo had done together since 1996.

On her JustGiving page, Deborah said: “It will be a particular challenge to join this year’s walk for the first time without him, but it is also a challenge to raise as much money as possible as a memorial to Hugo.”

St Luke’s Hospice (Harrow and Brent) is dependent on fundraising to provide end of life and palliative care at the hospice and people’s homes.

Only 40 per cent of the charity’s running costs are covered by NHS, meaning events like the 12-hour relay are needed to help the charity continue its support.

To donate to the fundraiser, visit Deborah’s JustGiving page.