why?
I have dedicated my row to the memory of my Dad, Derek Outen. He died very suddenly and unexpectedly in 2006 having suffered appalling ill health due to rheumatoid arthritis for nearly 20 years. He was diagnosed when I was just a wee toddler. It is a horrible, devastating disease and affects folk of all ages, from the tinies to the oldies, in various manifestations. It is essentially painful and debilitating and while ‘it may not kill you, it can take your life’. I remember him saying that the only thing that varied was the intensity of the pain - it was always there in some degree. Often it would knock him flat out for days on end. It cut short his career in the Royal Air Force, and it really did take away his life in many ways. Anyone that has seen a relative suffering chronic pain and illness, knows the draining, sickening, gut wrenching feeling of seeing someone they love degenerating and weakened by a seemingly unstoppable force.
But Dad was an unstoppable force, too, in his own right. He was courageous, determined and stubborn in his fight to keep going through the trials and setbacks of operations and illness. Without doubt, he has been and will remain, one of the greatest inspirations in my life, and my row.
the arthritis research campaign 
Hence my support of this charity in my adventures through various events, donations and fund raisers.
The Arthritis Research Campaign is a national medical research charity dedicated to funding research into finding the cause, new treatments and eventually a cure for arthritis. For anyone wanting to know more about the charity or arthritis, including patient information, please visit www.arc.org.uk