Shropshire charity rower sets off on World Record bid
A Shropshire man has set off on a World Record bid to row across the Atlantic while raising money for the hospital unit which diagnosed his trainer’s cancer.
Steve Harpin and his six team-mates set off from Gran Canaria aboard the ocean-going rowing boat Toby Wallace at 10pm GMT yesterday.
The crew is heading for Barbados hoping to arrive in the Caribbean by Christmas Day to beat the 32 day record for the 3,000-mile crossing.
As well as testing his body and mind to the limits during the row Steve, from Shrewsbury, will be raising money for the Bickerstaff Unit at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford. You can support him by visiting www.justgiving.com/Stephen-Harpin
Steve has been trained for the epic month-long venture by Wrekin College Director of Sport Jim Mostyn.
Jim was diagnosed with bowel cancer two years ago – and the disease was detected during a screening at the Bickerstaff Unit.
The crew of the Toby Wallace are in a race with sister boat Oystershack – manned by a crew of five.
The announcement that the crews had set-off was posted on the official challenge website last night.
It said: “After their evening meals, both crews wandered down to the pontoon to say their goodbyes to one another.
“Boarding their respective boats, the Toby Wallace and OysterShack, crews had the obvious banter about who will be into Barbados first. Once all the crew were onboard, they slowly made their way round to the harbour wall in Puerto de Mogan to touch the wall together, take the official leaving time (which was 2159hrs GMT) and set off.
“They moved pretty fast away from the wall and there was lots of cheering from the crowd which had gathered to see them off.”
Before setting off, Steve, 47, who runs Shrewsbury-based Shropshire Adventure Rowing Club, said: “I thought it was a wonderful challenge and if I did not do it now, at my age, I would never do it.
“I asked Jim to train me for the crossing. Jim’s life was saved by the Bickerstaff Unit when they found a tumour two years ago so it seemed appropriate to raise the money for them.
“Without Jim’s help I would not be ready to row across the Atlantic.”
Jim said: “I was diagnosed with bowel cancer two years ago and two years on I am still here and living a normal life, thanks to the staff at the Bickerstaff Unit.
“One of the most important areas of their work is the screening, and I think that’s what a lot of this money will go towards, to allow that screening to take place.
“The NHS has been fantastic to me and that is why I want to do as much as possible to give something back. When you go into the room and the doctor tells you to sit down and he says: ‘You’ve got cancer’ it’s a hard feeling to describe.
“But when you come through it, it makes you want to do a lot to help other people in a similar situation, and that is what Steve is so generously doing.”
You can track Steve’s progress below:
