Paddling all the way to Paris? That’s just in-Seine!

Jon James, area manager for Starbucks, visited the company’s Regent Court branch last month to take part in a day of family fun, which was aimed at raising sponsorship money for a 450-mile kayaking challenge he will attempt from Saturday May 28.

Mr James, 32, and his friend Mat Waldron, 36, will paddle from the London Eye on the River Thames to the Eiffel Tower on the River Seine in Paris, crossing the English Channel during the four-week journey.

Their goal is to raise £50,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, a cause close to Mr James’s heart since his late mother Sue was diagnosed with the disease in 2007.

The father-of-two, who lives in Whytall near Birmingham, said: “I came up with the trip without ever having been in a boat before but Mat had done some canoeing when he was a young lad and we’ve been training for 18 months.

“It has never been done in a kayak before and I’m a bit worried but I like to think we have picked something difficult because people will be more interested.”

Mr James has said his mother, a keen gardener who enjoyed the outdoors, was his inspiration for enjoying life and seeking adventure.

During the fun day the staff dressed as pirates and sailors to show their support for the seafaring fundraisers.