Halifax man to attempt record-breaking solo Atlantic crossing to raise money for Mind

Halifax-born, Tom Waddington, is embarking on the challenge of a lifetime in just a few weeks.

He is aiming to set a world record and become the fastest man in history to row from Canada to the UK across the North Atlantic Ocean and, in the process, raise funds for the mental health charity, Mind.

Tom works as a ski instructor and runs his own ski school in Switzerland.

He decided to go for the record breaking attempt to raise awareness and money for Mind, and to promote mental health awareness following the tragic death of his girlfriend, Hatty, in 2020 in a car accident.

His goal is to raise £50,000 for the charity.

Tom said: “I was shattered when Hatty was killed. It was a huge shock - I didn’t know how to deal with it and was in a very dark place, made even worse by the Covid lockdowns.

"Despite having a strong network of family and friends, I felt isolated and alone.

"If it hadn’t been for Mind’s support I don’t know what would have happened to me.

"Being able to speak to a neutral person about my feelings helped me enormously.”

“That support, along with my passion for sport and exercise, were my saviours.

"It was the knowledge, long backed by science, that sport and exercise elevates mood and mental well-being, which sparked the inspiration for this epic adventure to raise money for Mind by becoming the fastest person to row solo across the North Atlantic Ocean.”

Tom will be setting off on June 29 from Newfoundland, Canada, subject to the weather, and rowing for 12 hours every day until reaching Penzance, with the goal of achieving the crossing in under 39 days to beat the current record.

During the journey, he will be rowing in three hour stints, snatching sleep and food when he can.

To complete the challenge, his boat ‘Be Hatty’ has specialist equipment onboard which converts sea water to fresh water and also hydrates the frozen dried food he will survive on. If that breaks, Tom would have to call for rescue.

To donate visit mindoarmatter.com/the-cause/