This year (2019) Axis International Security Services has aligned itself to The Not Forgotten Association (The NFA), from a black tie dinner, drinks at the Old Bailey and attending the Queens Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, raising funds for a worthy cause has never been so much fun.
Their main objective is: "To act generally for the benefit of service and ex-service personnel with disabilities or who are wounded, including the organisation or provision of items or facilities for leisure and recreational activities, travel, holidays and outings."
In parallel with this worthy cause we had the privilege of meeting Theo Jones, the brains behind the Amazonian Kayak. Raising funds for The Not Forgotten Association we decided that all our fundraising would go towards Theo and his team.
Theo is taking a 12 man team of 8 injured ex-servicemen to kayak 3,500km down the Amazon River.
Paddling for up to 10 hours a day, they will not only be battling fatigue and the intense tropical heat and humidity of the jungle but also the mental and physical challenges that will be intensified in one of the wildest and most remote parts of the globe.
The Amazon basin can be a very hostile environment: armed tribes protecting their territories; potential attacks from river pirates; and of course, the abundance of wild life ranging from malaria carrying mosquitoes to jaguars, crocodiles and 30ft long anacondas.
Between the team members they have accumulated over 340 days rowing across the Atlantic Ocean; over 25 tours of The Falklands, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan combined, plus various different tours and operations around the globe. They have almost 130 years of military service between them.
This fascinating team set out to bring awareness of the brilliant charity and the fantastic work that it does and the ongoing, critical need for support for ex-servicemen and women in the UK.
Check out The Not Forgotten Association website where you can donate or the Amazonian Kayak website and meet the team taking on this tumultuous task all in the name of their fellow ex-servicemen and women.
The Not Forgotten Association - Charity Number 1150541
