A man is set to paddle board across the English Channel in memory of his 10-year-old daughter who died from a form of bone cancer.
Jamie BartlettBundy, 49, from Hassocks, West Sussex, is taking on the challenge to raise funds for The Children & Young People’s Cancer Association.
Pearl died in 2017 after being diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma.
Jamie began to paddle after Pearl’s death, having been given a board by his wife Rachel and son, Milo.
He said being out on the paddle board in nature has been his “place to find acceptance”.
Jamie is making the 26.5 mile trip with his brother John, 56, and hope to raise more than £10,000.
Paddling the Channel should not be done without preparation and a support team, which they have.
“I know it’ll be hard,” said Jamie.
“But after seeing what my daughter and all those other children go through, and still smile, I feel like I’m paling in significance when compared to them.”
Jamie will have his brother John alongside him.
“[John’s] strength is something I rely on, and vice versa, and his mental support, and his being with me, is vital.
“John has also done other long-distance challenges in aid of #PearlPower, and his experience and insight gives me strength that we can do the crossing.”
Jamie and Rachel set up #PearlPower, a Special Named Fund at The Children & Young People’s Cancer Association.
The charity has raised more than £125,000 for research into finding kinder, more effective treatments for all types of childhood cancer with poor outcomes.
They are expected to begin the challenge on 3 August.
The pair are not new to this kind of challenge.
In 2023, they covered 100km from Scotland’s west coast to its east during Storm Babet.
Jamie, who runs his own carpentry business, said:
“I’ve been working hard, training every day in some way, running or swimming.
“The morning routine is definitely getting harder, trying to fit everything in alongside work and life.
“The challenge itself is physical and mental, so it’s about being prepared to take on whatever hits us.
“One of the hardest parts will be being out for such a long time, unable to come in for lunch, with land so far away!”
Follow Jamie’s challenge on Instagram and donate by visiting the Just Giving page here.
