|  |  |  | | | | TV man finally home after round-Britain voyage | | | | |
| |  Rob Smith and crew
Release Date: 11 July 2008
BBC television presenter and reporter Rob Smith is finally home after his 2,000-mile journey round mainland Britain in aid of Leukaemia Research. Rob, who works for BBC South East, arrived back into Chatham Marina, Kent, on Thursday 10 July in “Wild Rover”, his Sadler 32 yacht.
Rob set sail on 12 June from Chatham and his route has taken him via Newcastle, Aberdeen, Belfast and Portsmouth. Rob was accompanied on each leg of his journey by a crew member with personal experiences of blood cancer. He visited Leukaemia Research scientists at Newcastle University and Queen’s University, Belfast to learn more about the research that his fundraising will help. He also visited Leukaemia Research Branch members in Portsmouth and even a traditional boat festival in Aberdeenshire! Wild Rover had a cameraman on board and Rob sent back a special report of his journey for BBC South East News from each port he visited.
You can view Rob's reports from his trip at the BBC website
End of stage 1 (Newcastle)
End of stage 2 (Aberdeen)
End of stage 3 (Belfast)
Rob decided to take on this challenge after meeting an inspiring young woman called Jessie Whitmore from Swanley in Kent. Jessie was just 17 when she died in 2006, having battled acute myeloid leukaemia. Her diary over the last few months of her life is funny, intelligent, hopeful, and ultimately tragic. Her last written words were “I want to go home. I want my mum”.
Rob explained, “No one should have to go through what Jessie and her family endured. I know Leukaemia Research conducts vital research into finding cures for blood cancers and I just hope that if I can raise a bit of awareness and some hard cash for them with this voyage, then I can do something to help prevent other families losing loved ones to these terrible diseases.”
You can still sponsor Rob in his fundraising effort, please visit his online fundraising website at: www.justgiving.com/sailroundbritain
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