At FASTSIGNS Leeds we love to get involved with causes close to our hearts. A huge part of that is supporting charitable causes within the local community by offering up our expertise and capabilities in signs and graphics. Recently, we partnered with Leeds Infirmary volunteer and competitive racer Mike Bates, to support an incredible charity challenge that will see him row across the Atlantic Ocean.
The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge
The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge is an annual race that begins on 12th December. Up to 30 teams from across the world will participate to “test themselves against mother nature” while competing to row across the Atlantic.
The challengers will row more that 3000 miles west, from the race village of San Sebastian in La Gomera, Canary Islands, to Nelson’s Dockyard English Harbour in Antigua & Barbuda. It’s a completely unique experience and a mighty challenge that requires a great deal of camaraderie, as well as mental and physical endurance.
Sleep deprivation, salt sores and physical extremes are amongst the challenges presented to Mike by the vast Atlantic, and Mike, a former Counter Terrorism Covert Operations Leader within the Intelligence field of the Ministry of Defence, has been preparing for the race for the last three years. Incredibly, Mike is taking on the challenge solo. Teams can consist of up to 4 people, so a solo row is both an enormous feat and an incredible challenge, but one we have no doubt Mike will rise to.
Supporting the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Leeds General Infirmary
Mike’s solo challenge is inspired by his aim to support Leeds General Infirmary. He’s experienced first-hand the incredible work that they do; both Mike’s sons were born prematurely and needed vital help from the hospital’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit in the first few months of their lives. Mike is using the challenge to raise money that will go directly back to the unit, supporting the amazing staff and facilities there and, in turn, directly supporting more local families and babies who need specialist care.
How we helped
FASTSIGNS Leeds wanted to lend our support to Mike. We decided to support the challenge by completing a full vinyl wrap on the exterior of Mike’s boat, the Atlantic Grappler. As well as looking the part, the full vinyl wrap displays important sponsor information as well as graphics about Mike’s career in the Royal Army.
The Atlantic Grappler will face a number of tough conditions as it journeys from San Sebastian to Nelson’s Dockyard. We knew the boat needed to stand up to extreme environmental demands, so our team chose premium vinyl and materials designed especially for vehicle graphics that we knew could withstand the elements.
Wrapping a boat like this was a project that we hadn’t undertaken before, but we knew with the expertise of the team that it was something well within our capabilities. The boat is seven metres long, for which we needed around 25 metres of vinyl in total. Applying all the elements took us three days, labour which was provided for free to help with Mike’s efforts for the Paedriatic Intensive Care Unit at Leeds General Infirmary.
Talking about the challenge, Mike said:
“Both of our children were born prematurely and needed lots of help in their first few months. Without the amazing staff and facilities at Leeds General Infirmary, our lives would be very different today. I want to support the charity for future families who need the specialist care we received. We’ve already raised £140,000 for the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Leeds General Infirmary and I’d like to raise as much as we can to give something back to people who do so much.
“I’ve been preparing for this race for three years now and I’m raring to go and row the Atlantic. I’ve built self-discipline and stamina through rigorous training, early starts and a healthy diet to keep going when I get tired, seasick or homesick. It’s going to be a challenge but so rewarding.
“The FASTSIGNS Leeds team produced quality material for my boat and I can’t thank them enough for such an effort - working with them was a brilliant experience.”
Andy, director of FASTSIGNS Leeds, added:
“It’s very important to us to work with the local community. We’ve always tried to help charities and NFP organisations when we can and the signage and products we supply can help advertise and promote their all-important events and fundraising activities.
“We haven't done a boat wrap like this before, so it was a really exciting project to get involved with. We'll be following Mike's journey - it's a great cause to support families in our local community and we're excited to see how much Mike raises with his fantastic effort.”
This is a project we’ve been really excited to be a part of, and we’re looking forward to seeing Mike’s journey across the Atlantic unfold.
You can also follow Mike and his journey on Instagram and Facebook.