SUP Your Way FAQs

To sign up to SUP Your Way, please go to our web page here and click on the ‘sign up’ button.

ANYONE can take part in SUP Your Way! We do ask that anyone under the age of 16 has full parental consent to take part and I must be accompanied at all times by an adult.

Many factors influence the time it take to travel on a paddle board including water and wind conditions, your fitness and the type of paddleboard you are using. In general though the average paddle board speed at a leisurely pace is 5kmph. So to complete the 5km target you would need to paddle continuously for an hour and for around two hours to complete the 10km.

You can paddle whenever you like, you don’t even need to complete your distance in one session; you can break it up throughout the week.

Entry is free, we just ask you pledge to raise a minimum of £20.

We ask that everyone who takes part to either raise or donate a minimum of £20 support Rowcroft’s end of life patient. We would love for you to create a fundraising page to share with your friends and ask them to donate, but if you feel like this isn’t for you, we also have the option for you to donate to us directly instead.

The easiest way for us and you to track your walk is using Strava. If you haven’t already, you will need to create a Strava account; you can do this at www.strava.com or download the app straight to your phone. Once you have a Strava account you can connect it to your fundraising page. All walking activities on Strava will then be automatically posted to your fundraising page to track your progress.

We’ve put together a detailed guide on how to connect and use your Strava account if you are having trouble which you can download here.

If you would like to join up with other SUP your way participants to share your adventures, paddling routes and tips you can join the SUP Your Way Strava group at  https://www.strava.com/clubs/SUP-YourWay

Choose a calm and public place to paddle where other people are present and in an area you are familiar with. Avoid places where there are strong currents or rip tides.

Prior to paddling, check apps online to assess weather, tide and wind conditions. Don’t paddle if there are moderate or strong winds. Remember, even a gentle head wind can make paddling hard work.

Choose your route and distance to reflect your ability, and don’t venture further than you feel comfortable with. Be realistic about what you can achieve, and bear in mind that the conditions can change fast and make it hard to paddle. If possible, set off in the most difficult direction first so that your return route is an easier one. Remember to conserve your energy for the journey back.

Plan your timings around the weather, wind and tide/current – remember that paddling in even a gentle headwind can be hard work. Take a look online at weather and surfing apps to assess the conditions. Plan to be back well before dusk.

For safety on the water, we strongly advise you wear a buoyancy aid at all times. If it’s a cold day, then we recommend you wear a wetsuit. If it’s hot, then quick-dry shorts and top are good. Please be sure to put on sun cream before setting off – even just a small amount of sun can burn your skin when you’re on the water.

If the weather is looking hot, it’s also advisable to wear a cap and sunglasses, but make sure they’re tightly secured!

In general, there’s no need to wear shoes on the board, as most boards have a rubber grip for your feet, but if it’s a cold day then you may wish to wear wetsuit boots.

In a dry bag, pack essentials such as spare clothing and warm layers – just in case you take a tumble into the water. A wind resistant jacket may come in handy too.

We advise that you wear a buoyancy aid and take plenty of drinking water, suncream, food/snacks, and a mobile phone in a waterproof case.

In a dry bag, pack essentials such as spare clothing and warm layers – just in case you take a tumble into the water. A wind resistant jacket may come in handy too.

• Wear a buoyancy aid.
• Prior to paddling, check apps online to assess weather, tide and wind conditions. Don’t paddle if there are moderate or strong winds. Remember, even a gentle head wind can make paddling hard work.
• Avoid paddling alone.
• Tell people where you’re going and what time you expect to be back.
• Choose a calm and public place to paddle where other people are present (and preferably paddling) in an area you are familiar with. Avoid locations where there are strong currents or rip tides.
• Take a mobile phone with you in a waterproof case.
• Take plenty of drinking water and food/snacks with you.
• Wear sun cream even if it’s not sunny when you set off, as the weather can quickly change.
• Take a hat with you (ensure it’s securely fastened when wearing).
• Choose your route and distance to reflect your ability and don’t venture further that you feel comfortable with. If you’re a beginner, set yourself a small distance such as three to five kilometres.
• Secure the paddle board leash to your ankle at all times while on the water.
• Remember to conserve your energy for the journey back.
• Don’t paddle after dark.
• Ensure that your board is inflated to the correct PSI.
• In a dry bag, pack essentials such as spare clothing and warm layers, just in case you take a tumble into the water.
• If you have any health conditions, please bear these in mind when you are planning your activity and ensure that you have any medications you require with you.

This depends on your experience and ability, where you are paddling, and the conditions of weather, wind and tide/current. Depending on all these factors, it could take 30 minutes or all day! As a general rule, the average paddle board speed is nearly 5km per hour, though beginners often go much slower than this, especially when paddling against tides or currents.

For your own personal safety, we advise that you don’t SUP alone. To find someone to buddy up with, why not say ‘hello’ and introduce yourself on our Facebook event page.

We will have emailed a receipt to you when you registered for the event, at the bottom of this email there is a link to your dashboard where you can edit your entry.

No worries!  Please email your name and to events@rowcrofthospice.org.uk so that we can to help you.

Creating and joining a team is easy! To create just click the ‘create’ button and enter the name of your team and email addresses of anyone you would like to invite. If you create the team you will then be recorded as the team captain. Your invitees will be sent a link to register to the SUP Your Way event as a part of your team.

To join an existing team click ’join’ and search for your team or team captains name. Once you can see your team name just click ‘join’. You can then invite more friends to join by inputting their email address.

If all members of your party have registered, but didn’t create the team at the point of registration, you will need to email events@rowcrofthospice.org.uk. Include the names of all team members, and your team members.

Email us at events@rowcrofthospice.org.uk with your name and the correct team name and we can amend this for you.

As this is a virtual event, we are asking all participants to raise money through online fundraising pages. However, if you do require a sponsorship form then it is available on the website under SUP your way.

Creating a fundraising page is now easier than ever! Once you have registered to the event and click continue to create your fundraising page. Just add your fundraising target, profile picture, and connect or create a Strava account so that we can track your walk. You will then be given a link to your fundraising page to share with your friends.

If you prefer not to use our new fundraising system JustGiving and Facebook Donate are two popular options, so here are some handy tips to set up your page:

JustGiving

1. Go to justgiving.co.uk
2. Click ‘Get Started’
3. Log in / create an account
4. Click ‘create your page’
5. Select ‘Rowcroft Hospice’ as your charity
6. Select ‘organised event’
7. Personalise your page with photos and text

Facebook Donate

1. Sign into Facebook and click ‘Fundraisers’ in the left menu of your News Feed.
2. Click ‘Raise Money’ and select ‘Non-profit/ Charity’ and select ‘Rowcroft’.
3. Make sure you include your name and the name of the Rowcroft event in the name of your fundraiser. e.g. John Hill’s SUP Fundraiser
4. Click ‘Create’ and you’re ready to share.

Please let us know that you have set up a Facebook fundraising page by emailing donorbase@rowcrofthospice.org.uk.

We are so sorry to hear that. Please email events@rowcrofthospice.org.uk to let the team know that you won’t be attending – we hope you get better soon.

Unfortunately SUP Your Way places are not transferable or refundable but your fee will be used to help provide comfort, support and specialist care to over 2,000 patients and their loved ones across South Devon each year.

We’d be really grateful if you could send the cheque in, along with your other sponsorship as soon as possible. We can then bank it and allocate the funds to your final sponsorship total. Please post it to Freepost RTKK-UJRJ-XBKS, SUP Your Way, Rowcroft Hospice, Avenue Road, Torquay, TQ2 5LS

Visit www.rowcrofthospice.org.uk/sponsorship; you can either pay by debit or credit card.

If you have used our online fundraising pages, Just Giving, or Facebook to raise your money this is done for you automatically. As long as you have selected Rowcroft as your chosen charity the funds will be automatically transferred into our accounts.  Some sites take a little time for your money to get to us, but once your page has closed we will calculate your final sponsorship amount and send you your official thank you letter.

No problem, email our database team on donorbase@rowcrofthospice.org.uk to unsubscribe.

Creating a fundraising page is now easier than ever! Once you have registered to the event, you will be asked to create your own fundraising page. Just add your fundraising target and profile picture. You will then be given a link to your fundraising page to share with your friends.

If you prefer, JustGiving and Facebook are two popular alternative options to create a fundraising page, so here are some handy tips to set them up:

JustGiving

Go to www.justgiving.co.uk

Click ‘Get Started’.

Log in / create an account.

Click ‘create your page’.

Select ‘Rowcroft Hospice’ as your charity.

Select ‘organised event’.

Personalise your page with photos and text.

Facebook Donate

Sign into Facebook and click ‘Fundraisers’ in the left menu of your News Feed.

Click ‘Raise Money’ and select ‘Non-profit/ Charity’ and select ‘Rowcroft’.

Make sure you include your name and the name of the Rowcroft event in the name of your fundraiser, for example, Jill Hill’s Rowcroft Sleep Walk Fundraiser.

Click ‘Create’ and you’re ready to share.

Please let us know that you have set up a Facebook fundraising page by emailing donorbase@rowcrofthospice.org.uk.

The easiest way for you and your supporters to track your SUP journey is using Strava. If you don’t have it already, it’s a great idea to create a Strava account. You can do this at www.strava.com or download the app straight to your phone. When you connect your Strava account to your fundraising page, all SUPping activities on Strava will then be automatically posted to your fundraising page to track your progress.

To track your SUP on Strava, just click the ‘record’ button before you start paddling, and choose the paddle board activity.

If you would like to join with other SUPpers, you can join the SUP Your Way Strava group at www.strava.com/clubs/SUP-YourWay

If you would like a paper sponsor form, please email events@rowcrofthospice.org.uk and we can send you one. Please remember to encourage people to fill in the Gift Aid details accurately.

Unfortunately, this is not possible as it requires a collections license. We have a license, but it does not cover event participants collecting donations from the public.

Please be sure to send your fundraising page link to your family and friends, and to share on Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, Twitter, Messenger and email. The more photos you post on social media the better – please tag us @RowcroftHospice in all of your photos, and use #SUPYourWay to keep us updated on how you’re getting on. Please refer to our fundraising pack for other ideas.

Please take a look at our fundraising pack – it will tell you all you need to know about SUP Your Way and how to fundraise. Don’t worry if you’ve never fundraised before, the pack will guide you through the whole process.

Money raised from this year’s SUP Your Way event will help to fund Rowcroft’s Hospice at Home service that provides expert care, support and compassion to local patients at home in their last two weeks of life.

£70 could pay for two hours of care to a patient at home, helping to keep them comfortable and pain-free in their final days.

£100 could pay for enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to enable our Hospice at Home team to visit 100 patients at home.

£280 could pay for expert overnight care for a patient at home, enabling family carers to get some vital sleep.

£422 could pay for the travel costs for the entire Hospice at Home team for two weeks.

Yes. If the act of asking people for money isn’t for you, then we offer the option of making a one-off donation instead (minimum of £20).

Please email our database team on donorbase@rowcrofthospice.org.uk to unsubscribe to any marketing emails, or click the link at the bottom of your last email. Please note that once you have registered, you will still receive important information that is relevant to your entry via email whether you have opted out of marketing or not.

As long as you selected Rowcroft as your chosen charity, the funds will be automatically transferred into our account from the online fundraising portal.

We’d be really grateful if you could send the cheque to us as soon as possible. We can then bank it and allocate the funds to your final sponsorship total. Just send the cheque to: Freepost RTKK-UJRJ-XBKS, SUP Your Way 2021, Rowcroft Hospice, Avenue Road, Torquay, TQ2 5LS

Visit www.rowcrofthospice.org.uk/sponsorship; you can transfer funds to us by paying the amount by debit or credit card.