red nose 2025

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Friday 8th March 2024   

Copper Box Arena LONDON the venue for our  COOL ROWINGS RED NOSE CHALLENGE!

COOL ROWINGS RED NOSE CHALLENGE 2024 is primary school FUNdraising that is a great laugh and strengthens community spirit. 

The UK’s 1st Gladiator Champion Weininger Irwin is rallying local schools to take part in this initiative to raise as much money as possible for Red Nose Day.  He’s calling on all schools with pupils in Reception to Year 2 children to be part of an historic annual event at the same site which houses the Olympic Stadium and Copper Box where Weininger participated in his first primary school sports day over 50 years ago. 

For all successful registered schools, Weininger will deliver an Assembly of his win on the most successful sporting game show of the 1990’s.   All children participating will be asked to become Red Nose Beacon Fundraisers. They are encouraged, through sponsorship forms to generate funds for this fantastic Comic Relief Cool Rowings Red Nose Day Challenge at the Copper Box Arena on Friday 8th March 2024.

This fundraising event is so much more as it introduces Reception - Yr 2 Children to an activity and an extraordinary occasion.  It ticks curriculum requirements for Physical Education, naming muscles used in the activities, and understanding how they work. Equally important the participants challenge themselves whilst participating in a team. The children will further develop their oral communication skills as they (supported by Teachering Staff,Parents/Carer), seek sponsorship for a project that is nationally recognised and heralded as one of the largest nationwide charitable events in the UK.

Weininger Irwin was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer in 2020, and since then has made a real impact in charitable fundraising as in 2022 he rowed for 24 hours in the Liberty Shopping Centre (Romford) which was covered by ITV. 

In 2023 with his Ageless Teenagers (Senior citizens) and local school children, they rowed the length of the Elizabeth line (Heathrow to Shenfield) by taking indoor rowing machines to each station and rowing the distance which was covered by the national BBC evening news..

It’s 2024, and Weininger would like your help by making your school part of an historic fundraising event. Let’s work together to make the maximum impact with this new initiative by raising as much money for Red Nose Comic Relief, and generating much more awareness  on Prostate Cancer and Youth Violence.

Public transport is the best and easiest way to get to and from the Park, either by train, underground, bus or cycle. Copper Box Arena is in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, London E20 3HB

• The nearest Overground station is Hackney Wick (5 minute walk)
• The nearest Underground station is Stratford (15 minute walk)
• The 388 bus runs every 10 minutes from Stratford bus station to Blackfriars station and stops directly outside the Copper Box Arena (stops M & N)
• There are more than 140 cycle racks outside the Copper Box Arena, including a Santander Cycles docking station located outside the centre
• Stratford International station is just a 10 minute walk away
• St Pancras International & Kings Cross stations are just seven minutes away by train to Stratford International
• The M25 is only a 25 minutes drive away. There is limited parking available at the Copper Box Arena. Please check on parking availability before you travel. Otherwise, there is plenty of parking available in nearby Westfield.

ROW THE LINE took place on Monday 13th March 2023 from Elizabeth Line stations.  With Ageless Teenagers and local schools all Cool Rowings the distance of the Elizabeth Line (Heathrow to Shenfield) check out the BBC news video  which summarises our  "Row The Line!" 

We teamed up with the Elizabeth Line, British Rowing, the Liberty Shopping Centre and Everyone Active to raise funds for Red Nose Day.  

The UK's first Champion of ITV's show Gladiators has battled through a “brutal” 24-hr ROWATHON  and raised double his goal for Comic Relief.

Weininger Irwin a prostrate cancer survivor, started the row at the Liberty Shopping Centre in Romford at 6pm on March 17, and finished at the same time the next day, on his 59th birthday.  Thanks to donations on the day, £300 from Islington’s Copenhagen Primary School and 148 supporters on his JustGiving page, Weininger smashed his target of £1,500 and will donate around £4,000 to the cause. 

This comes after his win on ITV’s hit show 30 years ago, and although he still enjoys pushing his body to the limit, the 59-year-old said he’s “so glad” the challenge is behind him.

He said: “It was brutal. In the morning the shopping centre was so cold - even colder than outside.”  But it was the ninth hour that Weininger said was the “worst” point, and at certain stages, he believes he was “hallucinating”.

“The hours seemed to take so long to go by and your body starts to fatigue and at some points, I had to do a single leg row,” said Weininger.  

A highlight through the difficult challenge was his wife, Janice, bringing him a pillow to sit on, he said.

“Without that, I don’t know what I would have done," he added.  Weininger took five-minute breaks every hour, which were “immense” as they gave him the chance to visit the toilet and stretch off." 

He added: “I just kept moving, even so, coming down to the last part, even pushing was difficult as I had aches and soreness, but I'm so glad it’s done.”  

The Community Exercise Officer said he couldn’t have done it without his “absolutely amazing team”  Ageless Teenagers, family and friends, who supported him at different hours of the day, evening and morning.  

After finishing the row, a birthday cake was presented to Weininger.

Friday 8th March 2024 Copper Box Arena London Can you recognise the World and Olympic Champions featured in the above video there is also a BBC Presenter featured email your answers for a Cool Rowings "you know your celebrities"!

Junior Giscombe will help raise money for Cool Rowings Red Nose Day 2024

Weininger rows the Elizabeth Line with Secondary Schools and Ageless Teenagers