Chris Heaps

Following the tragic death of an old school friend in 2010, Chris organised and completed the C2C cycle route on foot, and in stripy Y-Fronts, running on average a marathon per day for 5 consecutive days. He raised a total of £1,958 in memory of his friend, and increased awareness for the charity PAPYRUS (prevention of young suicide). Since then, in 2011, he also helped to organise and promote the first Tyne River Swim, handing out flyers on the main shopping street dressed in a wetsuit to increase publicity, and covering 10 miles from the millenium bridge to South Shields, with 13 other swimmers, raising a total of £7,494 for the RNLI Lifeboats. Chris has always been committed to sport, and loves helping other people to enjoy it as much as he does which can be seen through his past work as a children`s swimming teacher and volunteering as the novice squad rowing coach, giving up most of his weekends in the final year of his degree at the University of Glasgow. Chris now volunteers to coach the intermediate squad at Tyne Rowing Club (although he is currently taking a break to complete a PGCE), assisting them with water training and writing their fitness programme. He has a real passion for raising money and awareness for charities through sport, and hopes to continue this in the future.