18 Feb 2021
Simon Lyddon, who runs IVC Evidensia practice Vine Tree Vets in Herefordshire, will be part of a 12-strong team setting off from the Canary Islands in March on a 40-day adventure.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
Simon Lyddon prepares to cross the Atlantic in rowing boat Roxy.
A vet is taking part in a 3,000-mile row across the Atlantic after suffering a double family cancer bombshell.
Simon Lyddon, 44 – who runs IVC Evidensia practice Vine Tree Vets in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire – hopes to raise at least £15,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. He lost his dad Peter to an 11-year prostate cancer battle before wife Mel, an NHS physiotherapist, was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy have put her on the road to recovery, but to balance his own well-being, and despite no previous rowing experience, he signed up to be part of the 12-strong team crossing the Atlantic in 12-metre long craft, Roxy.
IVC Evidensia has already donated £6,000 and Mr Lyddon is looking to raise the rest of the £15,000 sponsorship costs so 100% can go to Macmillan Cancer Support.
He has thrown himself into punishing, long daily training sessions to prepare for the 40-day marathon, where he can expect to burn 5,000 calories a day and lose about 12kg of bodyweight.
While training has been a challenge during COVID-19 restrictions, he is still hopeful of being allowed to depart for Tenerife at the start of March to take part in the challenge.
Mr Lyddon has fund-raised in the past by running marathons and tackling the Three Peaks Challenge, but inspiration for the Atlantic challenge came on a family trip to Antigua in 2019 to mark the end of his wife’s initial course of treatment. She has been treated at a Macmillan unit at Hereford County Hospital.
He said: “We did a tour and ended up at English Harbour, and in a corner of a museum there was one of the boats from the company that had originally set up the rowing race across the Atlantic.
“A lightbulb went on in my head because, back in my very early vet days, I’d seen coverage of the Talisker race and something about it got under my skin.
“I’d talked about it with a pal over a pint in the pub, but it was nothing more than a pipe dream and I’d forgotten all about it until I saw that display in the museum.”
Mr Lyddon added: “For the next few months, I kept waking up at three or four in the morning, fanning this flame that had been ignited. I felt it had to happen. It was a way to mentally help myself and give myself a focus to get through everything. I wanted to find a meaning to life, but also to give help to an organisation that has supported us so well.”
On training, he said: “It has actually helped give me even more energy for the challenges and hardships of the day. I try to get an hour on the rowing machine before 7am when it’s time to help with the kids before heading to the surgery.
“I have a rowing machine at work and even if it means staying late, I’ll try to sneak in a session before heading home.”
Anyone interested in helping sponsor Simon’s challenge can email [email protected] or to donate to Macmillan, visit the two challenge website.
