A Cardiff kayaker has been left up the creek without a paddle after being told she must raise £1,250 to represent Team GB.
Angela Frayling, 30, Chester Close, has been asked to travel to Los Angeles to coach the Team GB Kayaking team at the Special Olympics but as there is no elite funding in place for the sport she must pay for her own way there.
“Going to the World Games is a life time dream and achievement. To be able to be a part of the Special Olympics is a real honour.” Angela said.
The thirty-year-old is appealing for help with raising the money so she can go and help the team, as she cannot afford to pay herself. She will coach a team of six, with athletes having to raise £2,500 in order to go.
“I love kayaking and helping others as well. I started kayaking seven years ago when I found the Glamboaters club near to where I live in St Mellons.
“The club is an integrated club with able body and disabled athletes. One member, Andrew Williams, went to the Special Olympics in Athens in 2007 and I got involved in Team GB through him.”
Angela, who works at the Friendly Trust in Canton, a charity managing the finances of vulnerable people, has so far managed to raise £842 through her JustGiving page but is appealing for more people to sponsor her and help her achieve her dream.
“We found out last May that we’d been selected and so we started out fundraising from there. Because there’s no funding in place we have to book our own accommodation and transport, which I think is a real shame.
The £1,250 covers travel, food and accommodation. The money also covers the cost of getting new kit like a buoyancy aid, kag, wet suit trousers and shoes and so on.”
Angela will be coaching fellow Welshmen James Savory, Adrian Abbott, Kathryn Smith and Andrew Williams as part of a total team of six, and will be joined by head coach Stephen Beynon who is also from Wales.
“Four of our athletes are from Wales, which I think shows how good we’re doing and how hard we’re all working.”
The Special Olympics are held every four years for people with intellectual disabilities and see 7,000 athletes from 177 nations take part in 26 Olympic style events, they will be held in Los Angeles, United States from July 25 – August 2 2015.
If you would like to help Angela you can donate money at www.justgiving.com or to donate to the Welsh team here.
