An Oxfordshire man has paddle-boarded across the English Channel in memory of his 10-year-old niece, raising £15,000 for children’s cancer research.
John Bartlett, 56, from Garsington, completed the 21-mile crossing with his brother Jamie (Pearl’s dad) after several weather delays. Setting off from Dungeness, Kent at 6.30am on 1st October, the pair reached Boulogne-sur-Mer in around seven and a half hours as part of their Paddle4Pearl challenge.
They were fundraising for #PearlPower, a Special Named Fund with CCLG – Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group, set up in memory of John’s niece Pearl Dixie Bartlett-Bundy, who died in 2017 after being diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare bone cancer.
At a glance
- What: Paddleboard crossing of the English Channel (Dungeness to Boulogne-sur-Mer)
- Who: John Bartlett (Garsington) and his brother Jamie Bartlett
- Why: In memory of Pearl Dixie Bartlett-Bundy, raising funds for #PearlPower at CCLG
- Raised: £15,000 for childhood cancer research (fund total now ~£160,000)
- Time: ~7.5 hours on the water, after weather postponements
Thanks to challenges like Paddle4Pearl, the fund has now raised almost £160,000, helping CCLG, the Bone Cancer Research Trust, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity and the Ewing Sarcoma Research Trust to support four new bone cancer research projects in an £800,000 collaboration.
Despite living with sciatica, John completed the crossing seated and said a “mind over matter” approach got him through:
“There was no chance of being able to stand. The pain was just too much. I just had to make a decision at the start and once I made that decision, I was fine. You just go into a mindset then and start grinding it out.
“At no point did I think ‘we can’t do this’, it was just about not overthinking it. Get your first mile done, then working in three-mile stints.
“When we got to six, we had a break. That was a 10-minute break. And then the next six.
“It’s just having those little goals that keep you going.”
John, a design management lead in the aviation and rail sector, has completed other long-distance efforts for #PearlPower, but said this crossing tested him like few others:
“Physically, it’s probably one of the toughest [challenges] because with cycling, for example, you can have easy sections and tough sections, so it’s peaks and troughs. Whereas paddleboarding, it’s just solid, non-stop, so you don’t get any respite.
“And the other thing was, while it was great being on the open water, we’re in the middle of the ocean, so the scenery doesn’t change. You’ve got no distractions.”
He said his “exceptional” niece was with him throughout:
“It was very much in memory of Pearl, and raising this money is really important to helping other people not have to experience the pain that we did, whether that’s the child or the family around them.”
Thanks to challenges like John and Jamie’s, #PearlPower has, to date, raised almost £160,000 for CCLG. Together with the Bone Cancer Research Trust, Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity and the Ewing Sarcoma Research Trust, CCLG has recently funded four new bone cancer research projects as part of an £800,000 collaboration.
Rachel, Pearl’s mum, said:
“We’re delighted to have been able to help fund these projects, especially as they all focus on Ewing sarcoma – the childhood cancer that took our wonderful daughter Pearl.
“Pearl would, and should, be 18 now. I’ve no doubt she would be heading to university, off to have many adventures and to make the world a brighter place.
“When she was little, she spoke of becoming a lawyer so she could afford a stable of beautiful horses but who knows what her dreams would be now. It’s very sad not to know.
“So, our aim in funding these projects to find cures and kinder treatments for Ewings, is to quite literally keep kids’ dreams alive.”
Hannah Ortega, of CCLG’s fundraising team, added:
“Jamie and John’s dedication and determination have been nothing short of extraordinary.
“They’ve shown resilience and a desire to succeed, and we can’t thank them enough for their incredible efforts taking on this challenge, raising vital funds for research, and awareness of childhood cancer.”
How to support #PearlPower
- Donate: justgiving.com/page/paddle4pearl2025
- About the fund: specialnamedfunds.cclg.org.uk/pearlpower
About Ewing sarcoma
Ewing sarcoma is a rare type of bone cancer that mostly affects children and young people. Research aims to deliver kinder, more effective treatments and improve survival and quality of life for patients and families.
