This summer UDSS Director of Recruitment Guy Denison-Smith will take to the waters of Canada to paddle the Yukon river with a team of UK veterans in support of British military charities.
The team will be led by Guy and Major Jon Frith. The team will be completely self-sufficient for the entire 700km expedition and will aim to accomplish the row within 7 days in mid-June 2022 to raise money for Combat Stress, SSAFA and the Grenadier Guards Colonel’s Fund. Unique to the team is its composition. Not only are the participants all former Grenadier Guards soldiers, but the majority of the team have also sustained life-changing injuries in recent conflict from Northern Ireland to Bosnia to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Peter Hewitt, UDSS director and co-founder;
“Supporting service leavers and veterans after they’ve left the forces is at the heart of our company’s ethos. This support is delivered in numerous ways, both by placing individuals in executive commercial positions through our recruitment service and by empowering them to take on physical challenges for charitable causes. We wish Guy and his team the very best for their endeavour and in raising money for these extremely worthy causes”.
The planned route will take the expedition along the Yukon River between Whitehorse and Dawson City in Northwest Canada mirroring the journey of the original settlers and prospectors who first ventured into this wilderness in the early 19th Century. Using open canoes much like these first pioneers, although made of Kevlar not wood, the team will navigate their way through the Yukon waterways for approximately 16 hours per day, camping overnight on islands.
The Yukon River meanders through one of the last great wildernesses on the planet, passing hundreds of miles of vast forests, barren tundra and jagged mountain peaks. Mapping is almost non-existent. Locked in ice for 9 months of the year, at its widest the river is 22km and at its narrowest 300m with currents varying between 6 to 14mph. Their greatest dangers will come from the river’s false channels and tributaries and hidden obstacles. Wildlife, in the form of bears, elk and wolves, must be treated with respect.
Guy Denison-Smith, is the expedition’s team leader;
“Expeditions such as this provide both an intense physical and mental challenge which will help the long-term recovery process of the wounded soldiers who are taking part. The expedition will give them a sense of real achievement that serves to reinforce their self-confidence and sense of worth”.
Follow UDSS on LinkedIn as we get closer to the expedition date for exclusive video updates, training news, interviews and fundraising events.
Guy Denison-Smith is the Managing Director of Universal Defence and Security Solutions’ Recruitment division and works to place service leavers and veterans in executive positions across commercial sectors.
Show your support by donating via the team’s JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/yukon-700
