Duo's Thames River kayak challenge after family death

Two friends have completed a challenge of running and kayaking the length of The River Thames to raise money for a hospice.James Fenton and Chris Malles, from Cirencester, Gloucestershire, wanted to support Prospect Hospice in Wroughton after Mr Fenton's brother-in-law was cared for by the charity before his death.Mr Fenton said: "They give end-of-life care that is second to none. It was a lovely challenge and great to make money for Prospect at the same time."They totalled around 299km (186 miles) in three days, and raised more than £2,000.
They set off on a half marathon run on 7 June from the source of the river which is in Kemble, Gloucestershire.For the run, the pair were joined by friends from the Dolphin Running Club, in Tetbury, Ross Bransby and Tom Fryer.Mr Fenton said the first day was "very, very wet"."We slept on an island which was great until we woke up in the morning and realised it was covered in goose poop," he added.By 10 June, they managed to finish earlier than expected as they caught high tide when going through the tidal barrier.

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Royal Ascot Day 5 tips: ITV Racing selections

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If you already have a Betano account and are looking for a new bookmaker to use on this week's racing, check out more free bets from the best betting sites, reviewed by our experts Royal Ascot Day 5 tips – Ron Wood's selections Nap Saracen (4.20, Ascot) 1pt each-way @ 7/1 with Betano (⅕ odds, 4 places) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Next best Treanmor (2.30, Ascot) 1pt win @ 13/8 with Betano ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Others Rebel's Romance (3.05, Ascot) 1pt win @ 5/2 with Betano ⭐⭐ Topgear (3.40, Ascot) 1pt win @ 8/1 with Betano ⭐⭐ Grand Grey (3.40, Ascot) 0.5pt each-way @ 66/1 with Betano (⅕ odds, 4 places) ⭐⭐ Jarraaf (5.00, Ascot) 1pt each-way @ 8/1 with Betano (⅕ odds, 5 places) ⭐⭐⭐ Zoum Zoum (5.00, Ascot) 1pt win @ 16/1 with Betano ⭐⭐ Seraph Gabriel (5.35, Ascot) 1pt win @ 3/1 with Betano ⭐⭐⭐ El Burhan (5.35, Ascot) 1pt win @ 12/1 with Betano ⭐⭐⭐ Sober (6.10, Ascot) 1pt win @ 10/11 with Betano ⭐⭐⭐ Odds provided by Betano and correct at the time of writing. Stars denote strength of selection (maximum five). 2.30, Ascot – Chesham Stakes (Listed, 7f) An interesting two-year-old event featuring a filly for Aidan O'Brien, Moments Of Joy, who won the same Leopardstown maiden on her debut as last year's highly impressive winner of this race, Bedtime Story. Charlie Appleby's TREANMOR (next best) is a promising colt. Moments Of Joy had to work hard on her debut – and while she is open to a lot of improvement, preference is for the Godolphin runner. Treanmor won so easily in a 6f Newmarket novice on his debut. The form has been let down, but there is no doubt at all that this is a smart horse, as he should be for €2m as a yearling. The worry is that Moments Of Joy could outstay him, as her debut win came over 7f and Treanmor evidently has a lot of speed. But the selection is by Frankel out of a 7f Listed winner, so the trip should be fine for him, and he just looks really good. Selection: Treanmor 1pt win @ 13/8 with Betano Go to site > 3.05, Ascot – Hardwicke Stakes (Group 2, 1m 4f) REBEL'S ROMANCE, a seven-time winner at the highest level, could be on the downgrade now, but he most recently won the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup narrowly from Epic Poet, who was getting 5lb, and now meets that horse off level weights. This Charlie Appelby-trained seven-year-old will not mind the drop back in trip and he is taken to have too much for his rivals in what is an ordinary running of the Hardwicke. 3.40, Ascot – Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (Group 1, 6f) This is a cracking race featuring form lines from around the world and maybe TOPGEAR, from France, can take it. He improved last season, his first campaign with trainer Christopher Head, with the drop to 7f seeing him win two lesser Group races, notably the Group 2 Challenge Stakes at Newmarket – by five-and-a-half lengths – on his only previous start in Britain. He resumed with a 7f Group 3 success at Longchamp in May, defeating Sajir, who reopposes. Third-placed King Gold won a 7f Longchamp Group 3 on Thursday and fourth-placed Lake Forest was fifth in the Group 1 Queen Anne at Ascot on Tuesday. Topgear has to prove he is fast enough, now down in trip, but he won his three starts over 6f to 6½f as a two-year-old, including a Group 3, and this is a stiff 6f. A small each-way bet on GRAND GREY is also suggested. This lightly raced ex-French runner did well for second behind Sajir in the 6f Group 3 Abernant Stakes at Newmarket, on his British debut, considering the race did not unfold to suit his off-the-pace style, and he had no chance after blowing the start at the Curragh in his previous outing. This test should suit him. Selection: Grand Grey 0.5pt each-way @ 66/1 with Betano (⅕ odds, 4 places) 4.20, Ascot – Jersey Stakes (Group 3, 7f) There is still better to come from SARACEN (nap). He won a 6f Curragh maiden by four lengths on his sole juvenile start and was still raw when third in the 7f Group 3 Greenham at Newbury on his reappearance. That race did not unfold to suit and he was beaten by two horses with Group 1 form. Saracen ran at Newbury so his connections could see whether he was one for the French 2,000 Guineas or the Jersey, and he turns up in the latter race with strong-looking claims, looking a fair wager to at least place. Selection: Saracen 1pt each-way @ 7/1 with Betano (⅕ odds, 4 places) Go to site > 5.00, Ascot – Wokingham Stakes (Heritage Handicap, 6f) JARRAAF won a couple of handicaps over course and distance on good and quick ground last year and there was nothing wrong with his reappearance fourth in a Salisbury Listed race. Khaadem was third in the same Salisbury race before winning the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes in 2023. And this year's Salisbury third, Annaf, runs in the QEII Jubilee. Jarraaf finished two places behind ZOUM ZOUM at Salisbury, but went through the race like the better horse and, having done his running and probably being in need of the outing, just faded a little late. Still, an interest in Zoum Zoum is also advised, as he is a significantly bigger price and the Salisbury race just looks worth buying into. Selection: Jarraaf 1pt each-way @ 8/1 with Betano (⅕ odds, 5 places) 5.35, Ascot – Golden Gates Handicap (Class 2, 1m 2f) There are also a couple of horses of interest in this one, starting with EL BURHAN. He did well to win a competitive Chester handicap over just 7½f on his reappearance and is open to improvement over this longer trip for trainer George Boughey, who had the winner of this race in 2022. The other is SERAPH GABRIEL, who shaped well when second in a mile handicap at Sandown on his seasonal return. The Sandown winner, Fifth Column, 'won' his race on the wrong side of the track in the Britannia at Ascot on Thursday, and Seraph Gabriel has been saved for this meeting since Sandown. 6.10, Ascot – Queen Alexandra Stakes (Class 2, 2m 5 ½f) The final selection of Royal Ascot 2025 is SOBER. He was a dual Group 2-winning stayer on the Flat in France in 2023 and most recently won over hurdles – over 2m 4f – on his debut for Willie Mullins. He has never tried as far as this trip (2m 5½f), but he looks like having too much for his rivals. Selection: Sober 1pt win @ 10/11 with Betano Today's UK and Irish racing (Flat unless stated) Redcar 1.10-4.45 Limerick 1.50-5.20 Newmarket 2.03-5.05 Down Royal 2.08-5.40 Ascot 2.30-6.10 Bangor (NH) 3.55-7.30 Ayr 4.10-8.08 Lingfield 5.45-8.55 Haydock 6.00-8.45 Ascot course guide Ascot is a right-handed circuit of roughly one mile six furlongs in length that joins a mile-long straight track. The two share a home straight and the round circuit is used for longer races such as the Gold Cup, which is run over 2m 4f. A good tactical position can be key on the round course, because once the field makes the final turn into the home straight, runners will want to be well placed for the final dash. There can be draw biases on the vast straight track, which is used for all the sprint races, because one part of the course may be quicker than another, or, if the runners split into different groups, there may be more pace in one of the bunches than another. What does nap mean? Nap is a word used in betting circles to describe a prediction that a tipster thinks has a particularly strong chance of winning. Many horse racing tipsters pick out a 'nap of the day', which is their favoured selection from all the races across the different meetings. The term nap derives from the French card game Napoleon. When players of this game thought they had a particularly strong hand that they would win with they would shout 'Napoleon'. Ron Wood 2025 horse racing P/L (up to and including Thursday June 19) Star ratings explained ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - confident selection ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - strong fancy ⭐⭐⭐ - fair claims ⭐⭐ - tentative choice ⭐ - minimum confidence