Stars and Spokes Update

The primary aim of Stars and Spokes is to raise funds and awareness for mental health in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, in conjunction with the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC).  Founded in 2007, it is the principal charity of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, and exists to support sailors, marines and their families, for life.  Dan Waskett and Pascal Patterson are serving officers in the Royal Navy and their Autumn update is below.  Learn more at: https://www.starsandspokes.com/

Stars and Spokes Autumn update

Thank you for your ongoing support in helping us raise funds and awareness for military mental health. We have made massive inroads to our goal, raising almost £5000 for the Royal Navy Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC) so far. Getting the campaign started has been far from easy!

Our mission to cycle 5000 Km across the USA has been ever-changing. The plan to go this summer was necessarily delayed until 2022 due to COVID travel restrictions. This led to an interim Land’s End to John O’Groats 2000 Km ‘training’ ride in July- an excellent test of our fundraising approach, communications plan and expedition kit.

However, with 2 weeks to go Dan was deployed to Afghanistan ultimately for 3 months, leading a small team to develop awareness of the situation that resulted in the evacuation of Kabul. The complex and arduous nature of the mission reinforced the imperative of mental health support for our sailors and marines employed in similar circumstances.

Meanwhile, Pascal was left to cycle the entire route solo which took significant mental and physical fortitude. The first half took place during a heatwave, quickly followed by a succession of storms- nothing like a challenge, but he smashed it and learnt some invaluable lessons along the way, which we will jointly apply to our USA ride.

Whilst we are both undergoing some recovery prior to commencing our 10 month training plan, we are developing an ambitious fundraising campaign alongside the RNRMC with a revised target of £15,000. We welcome your continued support and look forward to working with you in the run-up to our ride across the USA in summer 2022.

Yours sincerely,

Dan Waskett and Pascal Patterson