News
Charity and Dive Centre to Grant Scuba Diver’s Last Wish this Christmas
Deptherapy, the charity that seeks to rehabilitate UK Armed Service personnel who have suffered life changing mental and/or physical challenges, and Crowthorne’s PADI 5* dive centre Divecrew, are teaming up to grant a scuba diver his last wish this Christmas.
When Colin Clements and his friend Daphne Pearson walked into Crowthorne-based PADI dive centre Divecrew, no one expected what was to happen next.
Colin, 60, from Woodley, Berkshire, is suffering from an aggressive form of brain cancer that will take his life in the near future. As a committed scuba diver, now forced to give up his much-loved hobby, Colin had brought all his personal dive equipment with him to donate to the charity Deptherapy.
Colin had heard through a friend about Deptherapy, a scuba diving charity that seeks to rehabilitate UK Armed Services’ veterans who have suffered life changing mental and/or physical challenges.
Deptherapy programme members undertaking open water training at Roots Red Sea in Autumn 2016. Photo – Dmitry Knyazev
When contacting Colin to offer his thanks for this brave and selfless gesture, Richard Cullen, Deptherapy Chairman, was made aware that Colin had a dying wish to undertake one last dive. Richard, and Martin Weddell, owner of Divecrew, set about a plan to grant Colin’s last wish.
With a swimming pool already booked for scuba diving training this Sunday, Martin was able to re-arrange the diving schedule so the pool can be available for this very special dive.
Colin’s last dive is scheduled to take place on Sunday 17 December, at Eagle House School, Sandhurst. The dive is currently planned to be a surprise for Colin. Two of the Instructor team from Deptherapy, who are world leaders in adaptive scuba diving teaching, will be in the pool to assist Colin, alongside two Army veterans from the Deptherapy programme, who have offered to accompany Colin on his dive:
- Gary Green, formerly of the Rifles, was blinded in the right eye by an IED in Afghanistan and suffers from acute PTSD. Gary is an Ambassador for Deptherapy, a Trustee of the charity, and a PADI AmbassaDiver.
- Chris Ganley, also of the Rifles, served two tours in Afghanistan. On returning home from his second tour he suffered a devastating motorcycle accident that resulted in the amputation of his left arm above the elbow. He suffered devastating injuries, including bleeds on the brain.
For Chris, the dive will be particularly poignant, as he will be wearing Colin’s donated buoyancy control device (BCD). A BCD was the one piece of dive equipment that Chris was missing to enable him to continue diving. The remaining pieces of Colin’s dive kit will be donated to other divers on the Deptherapy programme.
Deptherapy programme members Andy Searle and Chris Ganley at Roots Red Sea in May 2017. Photo – Dmitry Knyazev
When he was informed of Colin’s donation, Richard Cullen, a Founder and Chairman of Deptherapy, wrote a very touching message to him that included these words:
“I am very sad that your life is ebbing away but through your donation you have helped some brave young men rebuild theirs. A ‘Thank you’ alone, seems a very empty and inadequate word given the circumstances.”
For more information about the work of Deptherapy and Deptherapy Education visit their NEW website at www.deptherapy.co.uk.
Find out more about Divecrew – the UK’s only Gold Star Dive & PADI 5 star IDC Centre – at www.divecrew.co.uk.
After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.
People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.
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- Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter
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- Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs
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- Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead
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- Oceanic Whitetip by ATM
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- Silky Street by ScapaJoe
The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.
One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.
Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:
https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24
Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.
Find out more here:
https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31
Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”
Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden
Cozy and warm in cold water.
It’s drysuit season all year round. With the new RS series premium drysuits from DYNAMICNORD, divers are perfectly equipped for all cold waters.
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Dynaskins are made largely from recycled plastic bottles.
The drysuit RS-351 for men and RS-352 for women are now available at your DYNAMICNORD dealer and in the online store.
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DYNAMICNORD – Your Outdoor Companion.
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