Leeds man reveals why Row4MND challenge inspired by Rob Burrow and Doddie Weir is 'unprecedented'
“We wanted to do something that has never been done before.”
Four men are embarking on an “almost inconceivable” challenge to raise an immense £57 million for Motor neurone disease (MND) research.
Mike Bates, Matt Parker, Gareth Timmins, and Aaron Kneebone are rowing across four oceans in four years, inspired by the legacies of legendary rugby stars Rob Burrow and Doddie Weir.
Across 2025 and 2026, the Row4MND crew plan to row around the entire UK coastline, then row from Tromsø to Svalbard in 2027 and from New York to London in 2028.
Crew member Mike, from Roundhay, said that the crew are “proud” to take on the unprecedented challenge.
“We have to remember that we’re the lucky ones. At some point the challenge will end but when someone’s diagnosed with MND, that challenge never ends,” Mike told the Yorkshire Evening Post.
“We feel privileged that we’re out there rowing oceans because we can.”
Former Royal Marine Mike is no stranger to a challenge.
In fact, he raised an astonishing £137,000 for Leeds Hospitals Charity in 2023 as he took on on a solo 3000-mile row across the Atlantic.
Joining forces with Matt Parker who has already raised £250,000 for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, the pair came up with the Row4MND idea as they considered the most difficult thing they could do for charity.
Mike said: “We wanted to do something that has never been done before, something inconceivable."
“No-one has ever rowed four oceans back to back.”
Completing the squad are former commandos Gareth and Aaron, creating a crew “cut from the same cloth” and ready to commit to a first-of-its-kind adventure.
The Row4MND fundraising target is inspired by the rugby shirt numbers of Doddie Weir and Rob Burrow, who both died from MND in 2022 and 2024, respectively.
By rowing across the world, the four men aim to continue the work these legends started in raising MND awareness.
“I was inspired by the leadership and courage they showed,” Mike said.
“Just as a human, I can’t walk past it. One in 300 people will be diagnosed with MND. Everyone’s going to be affected by it, so if you’ve got an opportunity to help someone you should step forward.”
The Row4MND challenge gained significant attention last year when Rupert Lowe MP mistook the crew for “illegal migrants” as they rowed from Land's End to John o'Groats in the first quarter of their challenge.
According to Mike, this mistake did the group “the world of favours” in spreading the word and now they have raised £148,000 so far which will be split equally between Leeds Hospitals Charity, the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, and the MND Association.
It’s a figure the group are “proud” of, but are committed to increasing each day as they demand more attention into MND research.
Mike said: “We are fundraising for research because we know we need to find a cure.
“We need to move the dial closer to that so this is for research to make a change once and for all.”
When Mike, Matt, Gareth, and Aaron embark on the final part of their challenge in two years time, they will be the third crew in history to row from New York to London, and they hope to break a world record as they do so.
Ultimately, the crew want to raise as much awareness for MND as they can, and as much money as possible to find a cure.
“We’re excited about the difference we could make,” Matt said.
“More than anything this is about banging the drum. This is about sacrificing a little bit of ourselves today for someone else’s tomorrow.”
To support the Row4MND challenge, donate to their online fundraising page or visit their website to learn more.