Patricia Smith is Cambridge University Women’s Boat Club Lightweight Captain and has been part of the squad training to race at the Henley Boat Races and The Cancer Research UK Boat Races. She won’t have recovered in time from an injury to race in the boat races this year, but is still leading the way to support the new exciting sponsorship partnership with Cancer Research which has a personal connection to so many of the squad.

In 2014, her mother, Ann Smith, lost her battle with cancer. The day after she passed away, Patricia raced at Kingston Regatta with her crew from CUWBC. Ann was happy to know that her daughter had a passion for rowing and that the sport was having such a positive influence on her.

Patricia has been inspired to create an initiative that combines her love of sport with her wish to support scientific research to help in the fight against cancer. She wants to make a difference for families like hers in the future through supporting rowing and cancer research in Cambridge. Patricia is supporting 2 charitable projects and fundraising for both Cancer Research UK and the project to build a much-needed boathouse for Cambridge University rowers at Ely.

With 3 crews and 27 seats (Blue Boat, Blondie and the Lightweights) racing against Oxford this year, Patricia has decided to take part in 27 different Cambridge University sports over 27 days in the lead up to the 2016 Cancer Research Boat Races.

Patricia’s challenge started on Tuesday 1st March and will end on Sunday March 27th when she will cycle from Goldie Boathouse, Cambridge, where CUWBC train, to Thames Rowing Club, Putney where the Cambridge crews will boat from and where the Boat Races will start on Easter Sunday afternoon.

The fundraising kicked off on March 11th when CUWBC Vice-President Evelyn Boettcher hosted The Cancer Research Britain’s Biggest Breakfast in Goldie Boathouse.
 
Follow Patricia and the rest of the squad for the next 10 days on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Patricia hopes that the whole Cambridge University community will be inspired and will  #PullTogether. If you would like to donate, you can do so here.