Cancer survivors in Burton Regatta row for breast cancer charity

Ali Adams put the rowing team together as a challenge after breast cancer surgery

A team of cancer survivors and their supporters will take to the water in a boat race in aid of a breast cancer charity.

Trent Rowing Club in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, trained the team of men and women for its annual regatta.

Six months ago, many of them had never been on the water before and most of them had never met.

Group leader Ali Adams said she had never been in a boat before she signed up.

"In I got, I was pretty scared," she said, "but I'm here and we have really come together."

Sharron Partridge is a bowel cancer survivor

Every member of the team was affected by cancer and were brought together by Ms Adams.

"I had breast cancer in May 2020 where I had to have emergency surgery to save my life," she said.

"Then I had chemotherapy and radiotherapy as my treatment, and I just wanted a challenge."

She explained she spoke to her niece, Olivia Bates, who rows for Team GB "and she said 'yes, go for it'".

"I asked my doctor and she said 'brilliant, I think it's the best sport you can probably do once you've had a mastectomy for the recovery under the arms'".

Fellow cancer survivor, Sharron Partridge, said she joined the team as she was "always up for a challenge."

"When you're out there rowing it looks easy, but it absolutely is not," she said.

Trent Rowing Club coach James Russell has been training the team

"Everything they bring to the boat and bring to the crew means that everyone's got their own story," said James Russell, the Trent club's rowing coach.

"It's been wonderful actually to learn and to listen to some of those stories as we've worked through."

"They're a fantastic crew of people, it's been a pleasure to work with them."

The team, raising money for Midlands charity Every Cloud, will be showcasing their achievements in between racing at the Burton Regatta on Saturday and Sunday.