The Fenathlon! Henry and James raising money for Fenland Conservation

The Fens are an amazing ecological habitat but they face significant threats, including habitat loss from agriculture and development, drainage of peat soils releasing stored carbon, and climate change impacts. Conservation efforts are crucial to restore and maintain these habitats for wildlife and future generations.

Currently, organizations like the Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs and Northants, the RSPB, and The National Trust, are leading the efforts to protect the Fens. Their projects focus on habitat restoration, such as rewetting drained peatlands, creating nature reserves, and supporting sustainable farming practices.

Fenland is considered very rare, with only a tiny fraction of the original fenland habitat remaining in the UK, meaning that what is left is considered quite unique and precious due to extensive land reclamation over the centuries; estimates suggest that less than 1% of the original fenland exists today, making it a scarce ecosystem with high conservation value.

We want to help these organisations protect these landscapes, so we have planned a big event… We're calling it the Fenathlon!

The Fenathlon… What is it!
We wanted to do a challenge and to raise money for the fens, but it needed to be big, to match the ambitions of the charities working to protect them!

So the Fenathlon is a one-day event linking Woodwalton Fen with Ouse Fen and Wicken Fen by bike, kayak and foot! We’ll be covering an epic 36 miles, passing through six nature reserves on the way!

James (12) and Henry (11), will cycle from Woodwalton Fen (a Wildlife Trust Reserve) to St Ives, where we will swap into our kayaks and paddle along the river to Ouse Fen (a RSPB reserve), before walking the final leg to Wicken Fen (A National Trust reserve).