UK and Ukrainian ex-servicemen to row Atlantic

Lee Spencer BEM holds four Guinness World Records for crossing the Atlantic

A former Royal Marine from Horrabridge is heading up a crew of British and Ukrainian injured ex-servicemen planning to row across the Atlantic.

The crew of two British and three Ukrainian men hope to raise awareness of those injured in the war in Ukraine.

Lee Spencer BEM has rowed the Atlantic twice since losing a leg and holds Guinness World Records for doing so.

Mr Spencer said: "We're doing it, first and foremost, to draw attention to the human cost of the war."

The ROW4UKRAINE crew plan to leave the Canaries in December and land in Barbados six weeks later.

The boat was made for them by Dmytro Rezvoy, a Ukrainian boat builder who is also a member of the crew.

Dmytro, Ivan Gavrylko, Semen Lagun and Derman Ihor Olehovych are Ukrainian Wounded, Injured and Sick (WIS) while Lee and Andy Merry are British WIS.

The crew is aiming to raise £150,000 for the Invictus Games Foundation which will be ring-fenced for Ukrainian WIS to enable their rehabilitation through sport and adventure.