walking on the wye side with Drewe
story by: dave king
Drewe Lacey is marking his year as District Governor by taking part in a challenging walk this September.
In July, Drewe took over as District Governor for 1100, an area stretching from North Somerset to Worcester and from the Wye Valley to Swindon in Wiltshire, encompassing 60 clubs and 1,400 Rotarians.
In September, Drewe and his daughter Harriet will be embarking on an expedition to complete the entirety of the 140-mile Wye Valley Walk in 10 days.
They will start at the source on Plynlimon on September 11th, and will be joined by family and friends, civic dignitaries and many Rotarians on various legs of the walk. The route will take them to the mouth of the River Wye at Chepstow by September 21st where the Chepstow Club, assisted by other Rotary clubs, will hold a family fun barbecue event.
It’s part of a project which Drewe has initiated during his year as District Governor called ‘Source of Life’.
Drewe explained that in 2023 the Environment Agency raised concerns about the water quality with the threat of pollution to the River Wye. One way of tackling this would be through improved water management and the planting of trees.
As part of his ‘Source of Life’ campaign, Drewe is keen that 50% of the monies raised would go towards environmental initiatives to mitigate pollution of the river. Partnerships have been formed with The Friends of the River Wye and River Action UK who will receive some of those funds.
“it’s part of a project which drewe has initiated during his year as district governor called ‘source of life’.”
“I lived in the Wye Valley from 1975 until 2007, and our six children grew up there attending local schools and colleges. The River Wye is part of the family DNA,” he explained.
The Rotarian will also be raising must from the walk for Gist Cancer UK to support the charity’s work in supporting patients, some with incurable forms of Gist and to drive further research.
After a serious operation in 2023, Drewe was diagnosed with a rare form of Sarcoma Cancer, Gist, which has inspired him to do the entire Wye Valley Walk.
Drewe is no stranger to marathon physical challenges having run three London Marathons to raise more than £10,000 for various charities.
The Mayor of Hereford agreed to host the launch meeting attended by Councillors from both City and County, environmental charities, the Chair of GistCancer UK, and from Rotary, eight Rotary clubs in the Wye Valley, and the District Team.
A partnership agreement between District 1100, the local Rotary clubs and the Friends of the River Wye was signed earlier this summer to co-operate on local initiatives involving citizen science.
In September, Drewe and his daughter Harriet will be embarking on an expedition to complete the entirety of the 140-mile Wye Valley Walk in 10 days.
Drewe is encouraging people to donate to a JustGiving page where 50% of the donation will go to environmental charities in the Wye and 50% to GIST Cancer UK.
He is also encouraging people to embark on their own personal adventure by tackling part or all of the Wye Valley Walk Route to raise money for the campaign.
You can register and donate on the Source of Life website.
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