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Rowing the Minch for MS

Target Date: August 2019

Our target amount of £22,683, equates to £1 for each stroke of our oars.

Our Challenge

Our challenge is to row the Minch from Stornoway, in the Outer Hebrides, to Ullapool on the north west coast of the Highlands, in a 22ft St Ayles skiff. The row, approximately 50 miles across open sea, is expected to take 15 hours. This is a personal challenge for the crew, the purpose of which is to raise awareness of Multiple Sclerosis and raise funds for the MS Society. The row, which will be physically and mentally challenging, symbolises the struggle of living with MS and is a fitting way to bring attention to a cause close to our hearts.

The Cause

A higher-than-average percentage of people in our small community have been diagnosed with MS, a condition affecting the brain and spinal cord for which there is currently no cure. Many more people care for those living with the condition. This row is our way of showing support: we see you, we recognise you, we care.

The Crew

The crew is made up of five members from Ullapool Coastal Rowing Club. We are keen competitive rowers and have won many medals between us but rowing the Minch will be our greatest challenge yet.

Kathryn Bennett, 57. A true northern lass from Wigan, Kathryn cut her teeth in the dance music scene. Though she has traded northern soul for northern lights, this keen Wigan Warriors fan still rocks that sharp mod style.Team speciality: logistics; the devil is in the detail.

John Grant, 63. Originally from Drumchapel in Glasgow, John pitched up in Ullapool just in time to misspend his youth during the crazy klondyking years. He then misspent his entire adult career in catering. Team speciality: diet; freakishly fond of beetroot juice.

Gary Lewis, 57. Hailing from Wallasey, Gary fled a short-lived career as a department store Santa Claus for his true calling as a scallop diver in Ullapool. Team speciality: hard core training all the way from this Celt Man Extreme Triathlon Champ.

Anthony O’Flaherty, 61. Our Irish-rooted crew-mate from Auckland lends an international flavour to the crew. If he can make it as a ballet boy in New Zealand, he can make it anywhere. Team speciality: keeping it cool and to the beat.

Lorraine Thomson, 54. Lorraine grew up in modernist new town experiment, Cumbernauld, before spending four years at art school tearing up paper. She’s now an author who loves sharks and loathes
mayonnaise. Team speciality: an ideas woman; it’s all about The Big Picture.

Total Crew Years: 292