A team of four men are preparing to take on an extraordinary 3,000-mile transatlantic rowing challenge to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association.
Northamptonshire business owner Matt Sirrell will join teammates David Watts, Peter Haymes and Tom Foster as part of Team Fourtitude, rowing non-stop from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to English Harbour in Antigua and Barbuda — a journey expected to take around 40 days.
“MND is just so horrific we have to stand together and do something about it,” said Matt, whose motivation for taking on the challenge is deeply personal.
The team will officially launch their campaign on Saturday at Franklin’s Gardens, home of Northampton Saints, during the club’s fixture against East Midlands rivals Leicester Tigers. The event will also feature the boat that will carry them across the Atlantic.
As well as raising awareness of the challenge, the team hopes to raise significant funds for the Northampton-based MND Association, the UK’s largest charity funder of MND research.
Every day, six people in the UK are diagnosed with MND, a terminal neurological condition that progressively strips people of their ability to move, speak, eat and breathe.
“All four of us have enjoyed sport in the past and I cannot imagine the horror of being diagnosed with a disease like MND and having that taken away,” said Matt, who owns MSL Logistics in Preston Deanery.
“We’ve all seen the stories of people like rugby league legend Rob Burrow, who was diagnosed in the prime of his life. I just can’t stand by and let it happen. It pricks at my conscience and makes the fire inside burn even stronger.”
While Matt admits the challenge was initially sparked by a “midlife crisis”, he and his teammates are now well into an intensive training programme ahead of the race start on 12 December.
“The physical side accounts for about 20 per cent,” he said. “The mental side is more like 80 per cent.
“While I’d shy away from saying we’re putting ourselves in harm’s way, we have had some important conversations — particularly with our spouses. The support we have from each other and from them has been absolutely critical.”
The challenge is not for the faint-hearted. Crews must cope with sleep deprivation, extreme fatigue, seasickness and long periods of isolation.
“People always ask two questions: where do you sleep and where do you go to the loo?” Matt laughed. “The answer is two small cabins at the front and back of the boat in two-hour stints — and a bucket called Lucy.”
The team is now calling on local businesses to get involved as corporate sponsors.
“We’d love the community to get behind us,” Matt said. “And to the whole MND community — your support really matters.”
To find out more or to donate, visit:
donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/fourtitude
or contact Matt at matt@fourtitude.uk