The Langa Educational Assistance Programme (LEAP) hopes to transform the lives of residents of Langa Township in Cape Town, South Africa by raising funds in the UK to support a programme of community and educational development. This is a particularly disadvantaged area with poor housing and few educational opportunities. The LEAP programme aims to help youngsters to gain qualifications and skills, to have improved access to sports and community facilities and better healthcare and health information. The school is in dire need of any help the UK can provide. Edgbaston High School For Girls U18 hockey team will be touring South Africa in 2006 and intend to visit the school, so some form of fundraising was thought to be a good idea. The solution they came up with was proposed by Laura Bartlett, the Head of the Lower School and a keen sportswoman and indoor rower, and was to row to South Africa on the Indoor Rower. The original idea was for a 12-hour marathon row but given the great distance a row of six hours duration with teams of six rowing 10 minutes in every hour was eventually decided.There was a fantastic response to this idea and, with over 30 teams taking part, the idea was expanded to include a Family Fun Day with bouncy castles and face painting etc to be held outside the main Hall where the rowing was taking place.Laura Bartlett takes over the story: At one p.m. teams assembled ready for the off. Loudspeaker system READY STEADY ROW! And row everybody did- for the next six hours without a pause. The atmosphere was fantastic with parents, staff, children all cheering each other on and a certain amount of competition creeping into the day. Who would beat the Bartlett family team, who would row the furthest? Covert monitoring of the leading machines was certainly going on and there were some attempts to distract the leaders, to no avail! Outside the sun shone and visitors poured into the Fun Factory all afternoon. The barbecue started at 5pm - the smells taunting the rowers but not one team paused until the song The Final Countdown played. Corny, but there was such a sense of elation within the room that it was quite appropriate!A quick shower and everyone outside for the Auction and to dance the night away to the live music and enjoy what was left of the barbecue.Committee members had been collecting sponsor money, Fun Factory money, and sandwich money - 7000 sandwiches made in total and by the time 10pm came £30,000 was in the bag!Having been in teaching for 35 years I can honestly say I have never experienced a day like it! The sense of purpose and community the project engendered was incredible. Everyone from all areas of the school was involved in some way. There were no expenses at all, everything was given free and every penny raised will go directly to the LEAP school. None of it could have happened without the support of Concept 2. Not only did it raise a tremendous amount of money for a very good cause but also it acted as a stimulus for children and adults of all ages to see and feel the benefit of exercise and a healthy lifestyle.Results for the day can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/bppe7