On Friday May 12th and Saturday May 13th 2023, a mixed crew rowed 100km from the finish line of the Henley rowing course to New College Boat Club boathouse in Oxford – the inaugural “Pete Bellenger Memorial Challenge”.
Pete is remembered by colleagues, students and parents alike at Brighton College, where he taught chemistry from 2013 to 2018. No ordinary teacher, Pete won the Times Educational Supplement’s “Special Services to Education Award” in 2018. You can watch Pete’s acceptance speech here: https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/watch-thank-you-each-and-every-pupil-who-has-inspired-me-and-blessed-me-letting-me-be
Pete is also remembered by the parish of Tollington in North London, where he served as curate and vicar, having studied at Durham and St Andrews and having worked alongside Nicky Gumbel and the Alpha movement at Holy Trinity Brompton church. No ordinary vicar, Pete cared deeply for each member of his congregation and ensured each felt valued no matter who they were.
Pete is remembered by the rowers taking part in this inaugural challenge - both by the 1996 Oxford University Lightweight crew and by the crews of New College, Oxford. No ordinary rower, Pete won the Lightweight Boat Race on the Henley course where the challenge starts and won back-to-back blades with New College 100km upstream where the challenge finishes.
Most importantly, Pete is remembered by his family and friends. No ordinary friend, Pete invariably put the needs of others before his own. Pete’s wisdom, faith and courage inspired those around him – not only to take on this challenge, but to lead better, kinder lives. Even as his own needs grew and MND diminished his extraordinary capacity to support others, MND never dimmed the generosity of Pete’s smile.
Fittingly, Pete dedicated his last years to a blog entitled “No Ordinary Hope” which celebrates his unerring faith in the face of the daily suffering of MND: https://noordinaryhope.org/
What is MND and who is the MNDA?
With Motor Neurone Disease, known as MND, messages from the motor neurones in the brain gradually stop reaching the muscles. This leads the muscles to weaken, stiffen and waste. It affects one in 300 people in the UK. MND is life-shortening and there is currently no cure. However, symptoms can be managed to help achieve the best possible quality of life.
One of Pete's closest friends shares her first-hand experience of the difference technology is making to those living with MND here: https://petebellengerchallenge.muchloved.com/Lifestories/663992085
The vision for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) is “a world free from MND”. As well as being the largest charitable funder of MND research in the UK, MNDA has been improving access to care and providing support to those affected by MND since its foundation in 1979.
MNDA spends over £10m in contributions each year on research into a cure for this disease and on care for MND patients and their families.
To give a few examples:
- £160 is the cost of the specialist communication app which enables an MND patient who has lost the ability to speak to communicate with others.
- £750 is the cost of a wheelchair ramp to allow an MND patient to access their local community.
- £4,000 is the cost of including an MND patient in critical clinical trials to bring us closer to a cure for this disease