Four rowers unite in landmark four year mission to find a cure for MND and raise £57 million
Four dedicated rowers are uniting over four years in a bold bid to help find a cure for Motor Neurone Disease (MND). As one of the campaign’s earliest supporters, Blueprint Operations, sister brand to Milton Keynes based leading gaming company MERKUR, has donated £5,000 directly to the cause helping to kick-start a mission that puts cause before challenge.
Over the course of four years, the team including Mike Bates, Matthew Parker, Aaron Kneebone, and Liz Wardley (both ocean rowing world record holders), will attempt something that’s never been done before - four full-scale ocean rows in four consecutive years. Their first journey began on 21st July, covering more than 1,000 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats, a route expected to take three weeks.
ROW4MND draws inspiration from rugby legends Rob Burrow and Doddie Weir, who both became national symbols of courage after their MND diagnoses. The campaign’s ambitious £57 million fundraising target is a tribute to their shirt numbers - Doddie’s number five and Rob’s number seven. Every penny raised through public donations goes directly to funding research to find a cure.
Mike Bates, founding member of ROW4MND, said: “There are many rowing campaigns that start as adventures and support a charity along the way. This is different. The cause came first. The ocean rows are our sacrifice, our way of keeping the conversation alive and of raising the funds needed to help scientists find a cure.
We row in hope that one day, no one else has to go through what families living with MND face today.”
This donation from Blueprint forms part of the MERKUR Community programme, launched in January 2024 to support non-profit organisations, community groups, and local initiatives in areas where MERKUR operates. Funded by MERKUR and voluntary customer donations from venues across the UK, the programme has so far donated £278,170.10 to support 114 community groups and charities nationwide.
Mike Bates added: “A project of this scale requires serious backing, and we’re incredibly grateful to Blueprint for their support. Their contribution allows us to direct more of our resources where it matters most - towards finding a cure for MND.”
Four ocean rows in four years has never been attempted before. It’s a monumental task, but we’ll keep going, wave after wave, to keep banging the drum for a cure.”
Andy Tipple, Managing Director at Blueprint Operations, said: “We are incredibly proud to support the ROW4MND team as they embark on this extraordinary challenge. Their dedication is nothing short of extraordinary and exactly the kind of community driven inspiration we champion through our MERKUR Community programme. We wish the team every success and will be cheering them on every step of the way.”
The ROW4MND team is supporting three leading charities: the MND Association, the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and Leeds Hospitals Charity.
For more information and to follow the challenge, visit: row4mnd.com/challenge