Mark Peters, a Dartmouth postman and fireman leads Blades Rowing which, upon completion of the row of 23 miles from Dartmouth to Totnes Weir and back, raised £2,400 for Cancer Research. Last Saturday, he presented a cheque to Cancer Research representing funds raised from a sponsored row.

Kingswear Rowing Club joined Blades in the sponsored row and raised £660, bring the total raised by both to over £3,000.

This was the third, sponsored row by the Blades who have raised for charity just over £10,000 in five years.

There are some 55 rowers in Blades and, with KRC plus a ‘kit-maker’ from Lyme Regis, they made up 60 rowers in the sponsored row.

The guest kit-maker was the designer of a kit for a St Ayles skiff. Blades spent a year building one of these. It carries 4 oarsmen and a cox, and, for the Great River Race in London, one passenger.

In the London race last year, they finished 10th overall but were the first mixed crew home and retained their divisional title for the second year.

The group competes in ladies and mens events in variety of boats. Last Sunday evening, the Blades Sting Ladies came in 6th from 17 crews at Teignmouth. The Blades Mens Flyers came in second from 16 crews.

Currently, the men’s team are third overall in the River Teign Rowing Club Seine Boat Series. There are 10 races in the series from May to September.

Mark is injured and, at the moment, unable to race. He said: “On Bank Holiday Monday, I was out on my RIB and, coming back, the tide was very low. The public slipway was treacherous.

“Having had a hand to get out boat out, I went back to get their boat out. I walked down the higher ferry slipway as it looked safer – it wasn’t!

“Both feet flew upwards. I put my right arm out to save myself and I have injured my rotator cuff/shoulder. No rowing for me for some time now.

“However, our men’s crew’s goal is to win the Great River Race in London. There are 360 boats racing from Greenwich to Richmond on the Thames, some 21.6 miles.

“We were mixed champions 2015 and 2016 but this time the men are going all out to win it.”