'Extraordinary' rowers brave storm to raise over £250,000 for charity

Four amateur rowers who set a new world record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, have raised over £250,000 for Spinal Research and mental health charity, Mind.

Battling sea sickness, 40ft waves, chronic fatigue and even hallucinations, The Four Oarsmen rowed over 3,000 miles in just 29 days and 14 hours, beating the previous record by almost six days.

Commenting on Twitter, they said: ‘What an incredible journey it has been! Thank you all for your amazing support.’

After setting off on 12 December, George Biggar, Richard Taylor, Peter Robinson and Stuart Watts adopted a pattern of rowing for two-hours and sleeping for two hours for the duration of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, before arriving at Antigua on Saturday.

Their inspiration came from Mr Robinson’s friend Ben Kende. A rising rugby star, he sustained a spinal cord injury whilst playing rugby, causing paralysis in his legs and leaving him with limited use of his arms.

Mr Robinson said: “It was his resilience in the face of adversity and dogged determination that we took with us on our row across the Atlantic.”

The team were also inspired to raise money for Mind in memory of Mr Biggar's mother Anne Fisher, who had lifelong mental health problems before she died in 2011, aged 54. Ms Fisher, who was a trustee for her local Mind branch, drowned in the sea near the family home in the Lake District.

Current statistics show that one in four people in the UK experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives and over 50,000 people in the UK and Ireland are paralysed due to Spinal Cord Injury.

With suicide rates at their highest for over five years, one in three people are told each day that they will never walk again.

“It is only thanks to kind donations and extraordinary fundraising efforts like this that we are able to continue our work,” said Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind.

“Conquering such a gruelling target is not only phenomenal in itself, it's also a brilliant way to highlight the positive impact physical activity can have on mental wellbeing.

“Every penny raised will help our work supporting people with mental health problems, including the Mind Infoline, our advice services and the campaigning Mind does to secure a better deal for those of us who experience a mental health problem every year.”

Some 25 teams comprised of competitors from 16 countries have taken part in the race, including 22-year-old London-based Oli Glanville, who is raising money for Alzheimer’s Research UK in memory of his seafaring grandad who died of dementia.

The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge was completed in a previous record time of 35 days by Anglo-American quartet Latitude 35 in 2016.