Charity rowers arrive under Forth Bridge to complete 900-mile journey around half of Britain
A team of charity rowers raising money for research into Motor Neurone Disease have arrived under the Forth Bridge, completing the first stage of a four-year endurance mission.
The Row4MND crew set off from Land's End in Cornwall on July 25 and have rowed about 900 miles, including having to change course 100 miles into the Irish Sea.
And they were mistaken for a "migrant dinghy" by independent ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe, who tweeted a picture of their boat with the comment: "Dinghies coming into Great Yarmouth, RIGHT NOW". He later acknowledged his mistake and agreed to make a donation.
The crew - Matt Parker, Mike Bates, Aaron Kneebone and Liz Wardley - were treated to a hero’s welcome by supporters, well-wishers and members of the MND community, as they passed underneath the Forth Bridge, completing the first half of their round-Britain circumnavigation.
They plan to row the rest of the way round Britain next year, then from California to Hawaii in 2027 and across the North Atlantic from New York to London in 2028.
One of the rowers, Mike Bates, co-founder of Row4MND, said: “A huge amount of effort and detail goes into planning a challenge like this.
“Coastal rowing is very different to ocean rowing, and we’ve encountered some of the most challenging conditions that any of us have faced – including in the Atlantic and Pacific.”
After initially rowing north from Land's End into the Irish Sea, facing strong headwinds along the way, the crew decided to return to the start line and continue their journey East via the English Channel. They also had to shelter from Storm Floris on the Sussex coast.
Row4MND is aiming to raise £57 million to have a material impact on the search for a cure to MND. Three charities are involved in the project - the Motor Neurone Disease Association; the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation; and the Leeds Hospitals Charity.
Mike Bates added: "We’d like to thank Rupert Lowe MP for inadvertently bringing the eyes of the world onto our crew, which has opened the floodgates in terms of donations. Maybe he can lend a few further words of encouragement for the second leg next year.”