We are proud to share that the dedicated Georgie, of Longcroft Luxury Cat Hotel Romsey, will be joining team mates from the Momentum in Fitness Charity in a record-breaking rowing challenge to support children with cancer. ‘The Thanks a Million Challenge’ is a world record rowing attempt to raise money for the PB Active project, which provides exercise therapy for children undergoing treatment at the Piam Brown Unit at Southampton General Hospital, and out in the community.

Georgie is part of a team of 12 committed people from the Momentum in Fitness Charity, who will row 1,000,000 metres (or 1,000 kilometres), non-stop as a team, on a Concept2 rowing machine. The challenge will take place between 3rd and 5th June 2025 at London’s Paddington Station. Through this extraordinary mission the team, who have been training at CrossFit Southampton, aim to make a difference to the lives of children with cancer and their families on England’s South Coast. They will set a Guinness World Record™ if they can complete the epic challenge within 61 hours, 58 minutes and 41 seconds.

Georgie explains: “Although I spend most of my days focused on pampering my customers’ gorgeous pussycats at my cat hotel, I’ve also taken on some huge physical and mental challenges in recent times – including ultra distance running, ultra distance sea swims and Ironman. And now I’m attempting something completely off the scale in terms of both physical and mental difficulty! As part of the Thanks a Million World Record Rowing Challenge, it’s not just the sleep deprivation, the number of metres we need to complete, or the fear of letting down my teammates that’s terrifying – it’s the pace we’ll need to hold to break the world record. The training has been relentless!

“But believe it or not, one of the hardest parts for me is the fundraising, especially through social media. I’m not used to telling my story and sharing on social channels, but it’s crucial to this challenge. Because the money we’re raising will go towards funding Project Piam Brown for the next three years – a pioneering service at Southampton Children’s Hospital offering exercise therapy to children with cancer. This whole challenge is aimed at giving the children who have made it through their treatment, a journey back to normality. A journey that gives them back the confidence they so often lose as their bodies feel the force of invasive treatment. I truly believe that ‘movement is medicine’! I’ve seen the reality of it in the work we do helping children with our charity Momentum Fitness. So please do follow the Justgiving link and donate anything you can – it will help to make a huge difference to young people who have already been through an incredibly tough time.”

Please follow the Just Giving link: support Georgie and the Thanks a Million Challenge.

Longcroft Romsey, in Hampshire, was opened by caring, cat lover, Georgie Taylor-Darke and her husband, small animal vet, Chris Darke, in September 2020 with seven luxury suites. Longcroft Luxury Cat Hotel Romsey has proved so popular with customers in the area, that it has recently added four more suites to its exceptional boutique facilities. Like all of Longcroft’s hotels, every suite includes a climate-controlled bedroom, leading to a private, safe, garden play area.

To make a booking or to view Longcroft Luxury Cat Hotel Romsey, please contact Georgie on 01794 341782 or email romsey@longcroftcathotel.co.uk

Rowing photo courtesy of GW Hampshire.