Edinburgh Student breaks world record in Atlantic row

Edinburgh Geography student, Luke Birch has broken a world record as part of the youngest team to row across the Atlantic.

Luke undertook the two-person, non-stop challenge with his childhood friend, Jamie Sparks. They took 54 days to row 3,000 nautical miles across the Atlantic Ocean.

The team were presented with the Guinness World Record for the youngest row across any ocean in tandem.

Charity record

Luke was inspired to raise money for Breast Cancer Care after members of his family had been affected by the disease. The team raised £310,000 for the charity - the largest sum from an individual fundraising challenge in Breast Cancer Care’s 40 year history.

It’s great to celebrate the success of our row with all the people who have supported us throughout. We can’t believe we raised such a huge amount of money for Breast Cancer Care. It’s a charity which means a great deal to us after my mother and grandmother were diagnosed with the disease. We’d like to thank everyone who supported us.

Breast Cancer Care

Breast Cancer Care is a UK-wide charity providing specialist support and tailored information for anyone affected by breast cancer.

The charity’s clinical expertise and support network aims to help thousands of people find a way to live with, through and beyond breast cancer.