Junior doctors set adrift for medical charity

Ted Welman, from Petworth, is joining forces with Jack Faulkner from Brighton to row 3,600 miles across the Indian Ocean from Geraldton in Australia to Mauritius.

Ted and Jack met whilst studying Medicine at Imperial College London, and both have rowed competitively.

For this challenge, they will row two hours on, two hours off, 24 hours a day for three months, to raise £100,000 for Médecins Sans Frontières.

This global medical charity delivers emergency medical aid to areas affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters or exclusion from healthcare.

This record-breaking fundraising challenge is funded by themselves and generous corporate sponsorship but they have already raised a further £35,000 towards their £100,000 target for the charity.

The duo, jointly known as Doctors Adrift, rowed 150km in 11 hours and five minutes at Jubilee Place, Canary Wharf on February 7.

They were doing a static rowing challenge against members of Brickendon Consultancy, Gold Sponsors of the Doctors Adrift expedition, as a warm up for next month’s ocean rowing.

Ted said: “Only four pairs have ever done this row, but we’re the first doctors to attempt it–and we hope to be the fastest.”

Having now completed their medical training, Ted at St George’s Hospital in Tooting and Jack at St Thomas’s near London Bridge, the boys have taken a career break for a few months to complete this epic fundraising challenge, battling hurricane-force winds and 50ft waves during their three months at sea.

Ocean rowing remains one of the toughest endurance tests. Some 4,000 people have climbed Everest, 536 have gone into Space, but only 20 boats have rowed the Indian Ocean.

To support Ted and Jack, and to find out more about Doctors Adrift, visit their website at doctorsadrift.com.

For more information about Médecins Sans Frontières, visit the website at www.msf.org.

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