H.E. the Governor Martyn Roper attended the Thursday lunch meeting of the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman(RCGC) on the 1^st October. The Governor is a Honourary Rotarian of the RCGC.

Following an update on the Special Needs Foundation Cayman (SNFC)  , by Susie Bodden, the CEO of the SNFC,  H.E. presented a cheque for CI$27,500 to her for the SNFC. These funds were obtained from extra donations made for SNFC via RCGC as part of the ‘Coast to Coast’ appeal in 2019 where in excess $750,000 was collected as a consequence of the trek along the Pyrenees by Derek Haines and Mike (Burco) Burcombe, together with other associated events. This event also greatly increased the awareness of SNFC. Within the community

The trek along the Pyrenees involved some 600 miles of trekking over harsh countryside and the ascent and descent of 157,000 feet; so 5.5 times of climbing Everest from sea to the peak. It took the pair a total of 53 days to complete the journey.

Derek has since published a book, ‘Coast to Coast, a trundle along the Pyrenees’ about the adventure and 10% of the proceeds are going to SNFC also. The book has been described as being inspirational and is the subject of a signing and launch at ‘Books and Books’ Camana Bay at 530pm on Friday 23^rd October.

The Governor said, “I am pleased to hand over this cheque to the Special Needs Foundation on behalf of Derek Haines and Mike Burcombe who raised a staggering $750,000 for the Special Needs charity from their Coast to Coast challenge. It is an amazing achievement and I thank them on behalf of our entire community.