Latest news with #MikeBates
Scotsman
a day ago
- Scotsman
Charity rowers arrive under Forth Bridge to complete 900-mile journey around half of Britian
A team of charity rowers raising money for research into Motor Neurone Disease have arrived under the Forth Bridge, completing the first stage of a four-year endurance mission. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Row4MND crew set off from Land's End in Cornwall on July 25 and have rowed about 900 miles, including having to change course 100 miles into the Irish Sea. And they were mistaken for a "migrant dinghy" by independent ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe, who tweeted a picture of their boat with the comment: "Dinghies coming into Great Yarmouth, RIGHT NOW". He later acknowledged his mistake and agreed to make a donation. The Row4MND team complete the first leg of their four year challenge which aims to raise £57m to help find a cure for Motor Neurone Disease. Picture: Greg Macvean. | Greg Macvean Photography Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The crew - Matt Parker, Mike Bates, Aaron Kneebone and Liz Wardley - were treated to a hero's welcome by supporters, well-wishers and members of the MND community, as they passed underneath the Forth Bridge, completing the first half of their round-Britain circumnavigation. They plan to row the rest of the way round Britain next year, then from California to Hawaii in 2027 and across the North Atlantic from New York to London in 2028. One of the rowers, Mike Bates, co-founder of Row4MND, said: 'A huge amount of effort and detail goes into planning a challenge like this. The crew of four - made up of Matthew Parker, Mike Bates, Aaron Kneebone and Liz Yarmouth - rowed around 900 miles in 21 days. Picture: Greg Macvean. | Greg Macvean Photography 'Coastal rowing is very different to ocean rowing, and we've encountered some of the most challenging conditions that any of us have faced – including in the Atlantic and Pacific.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad After initially rowing north from Land's End into the Irish Sea, facing strong headwinds along the way, the crew decided to return to the start line and continue their journey East via the English Channel. They also had to shelter from Storm Floris on the Sussex coast. Row4MND is aiming to raise £57 million to have a material impact on the search for a cure to MND. Three charities are involved in the project - the Motor Neurone Disease Association; the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation; and the Leeds Hospitals Charity. Mike Bates added: "We'd like to thank Rupert Lowe MP for inadvertently bringing the eyes of the world onto our crew, which has opened the floodgates in terms of donations. Maybe he can lend a few further words of encouragement for the second leg next year.'
BBC News
08-08-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Rupert Lowe mistakes charity rowers for 'illegal migrants'
An MP has admitted he mistook a charity rowing crew for "illegal migrants". Independent MP Rupert Lowe shared a picture on X on Thursday, showing a boat close to wind turbines near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, and wrote, "Dinghies coming into Great Yarmouth, RIGHT NOW".HM Coastguard contacted the crew to confirm their identities and it was revealed the boat was a team of charity rowers attempting to travel from Land's End, Cornwall, to John O'Groats, Scotland. In a later post, Mr Lowe, said: "As a well done to the crew, I'll donate £1,000 to their charity - raising money for MND." Mr Lowe posted about the boat at about 20:25 BST and said he had alerted the authorities. He added that if the people on board were illegal migrants he would be "using every tool" to ensure they were deported. However, at 06:38 on Friday, he explained the "unknown vessel" was a false alarm. He said: "We received a huge number of urgent complaints from constituents - I make no apologies over being vigilant for my constituents. It is a national crisis."No mass deportations for the charity rowers, but we definitely need it for the illegal immigrants!" The crew of four, which included Mike Bates who is a British record holder for rowing across the Atlantic solo, said they found the post "hilarious". Mr Bates, said: "I looked to my right and there was maybe a dozen individuals stood on the shoreline staring at us."I've not been mistaken for a migrant before."The best comment was the one asking where the Royal Navy were when you need them. I'm a former Royal Marine, so the Royal Navy were on the boat." Mr Bates said it was "almost vigilante-style" how people followed them down the beach. The team of four had set off from Land's End on 25 July headed north into the Irish Sea before bad weather forced them to stop at Milford Haven in Wales. So far the team have raised more than £100,000 for charity and hope to raise even more. "We're rowing for hope, we're rowing to find a cure, and hopefully we'll raised £57m - we certainly will is MPs keep talking about us," he said. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
25-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Land's End rowers attempt to 'make change' in MND fight
A rowing crew attempting a 900-mile (1,448 km) from Land's End to John O' Groats say they are aiming to break rowing and fundraising four-strong team from Row 4 MND were set to take off from Cornwall at about 08:30 BST and expect to reach John O' Groats in Scotland via the Irish Sea about 21 days row is the first of four the team plan to do over the next four years and they hope to raise £57m for research into Motor Neurone Disease (MND).Team member Matt Parker, from Glasgow, said: "It's just not fair that diagnosis of MND results in a life without hope, it's time for us to take responsibility and to make that change." The team said it would be a "very technically and physically challenging row, particularly taking into account the dangerous waters and tides around the UK". The mixed crew also includes two former commandos - British Atlantic record-holder Mike Bates, from Leeds, and world-record holder Aaron Kneebone, from Dorset, as well as three times round-the-world sailor Liz plan to complete an unsupported circumnavigation of the UK next year, going from Scotland to Cornwall via the North Sea, before California to Hawaii and New York to London routes in subsequent years, with the latter being a world record Parker said he was inspired to raise money when a close friend lost his wife to MND seven years said the deaths of rugby players Rob Burrow and Doddie Wier from the disease had also spurred them on.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Metro postal workers rally against change proposed by DOGE
DES MOINES, Iowa — Central Iowa postal workers held a rally outside the main post office in Des Moines Thursday evening. The Department of Government Efficiency proposed having the U.S. Postal Service absorbed by the Commerce Department– a plan that comes with President Trump's approval. Urbandale home damaged by late night fire Postal workers, mail handlers, and rural letter carriers showed up to speak about their disappointment with the plan, many telling us they were feeling scared. 'People are really scared for their jobs, people are scared for their customers, and people are scared for their pensions. This is one of the last American jobs that you can actually get a pension,' said Mike Bates, President of the DMI Area Local 44 American Postal Workers Union. In addition to anti-privatization, workers also discussed ongoing contract campaigns. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
