Yasper extends support for £57m charity rowers

PR agency Yasper has extended its pro-bono support for the Row4MND crew, taking the partnership into year two of the challenge. 

The team of four – who last year found themselves misidentified by Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe as an ‘illegal migrant’ dinghy – completed the first of two 2026 legs on Saturday 14th March, having rowed 250 gruelling miles across the Irish Sea. 

Row4MND co-founder Matt Parker said: “Given the expertise and support Yasper showed for our cause in 2025, we didn’t hesitate in deciding we wanted them on board again for our 2026 challenge. Their ability to tell our story in a compelling way, and get across just how tough this challenge is, has been invaluable. We’re raising £57m to fight this devastating disease, but we also need to raise awareness of MND, to ensure we can create a lasting change.”

Fellow co-founder Mike Bates said: “Our team extends way beyond the four guys in the boat. Not only do they get just how physically demanding this challenge is, but they’re also able to respond to dynamic situations at speed, something you need when you’re facing unpredictable conditions at sea. It’s great to know they have our back.”

Kayley Worsley, Senior Consultant at Yasper said: “We’re proud to be supporting this incredible cause and the individuals who are leading the charge. Over the ten-day row this March, our outreach secured the crew almost 700 individual pieces of coverage, giving them exposure across print, broadcast and online. We played to Yasper’s strengths by understanding the landscape and helping develop lines we knew would cut through. MND is a terrible illness and anything we can do to shine a light on it is a cause worth fighting for.”

Yasper worked closely with local photographers and news outlets as the crew made progress on their journey. Securing stunning imagery has been a feature of both the 2025 and 2026 campaigns, which has led to superb national coverage in each edition of the row to date. 

Also engaged in the campaign is RAM Films, owned by Jamie Jones-Buchanan, the former teammate of Rob Burrow, who sadly died from the disease. Jamie and his team at RAM have been involved in the campaign from the start.

The crew will compete their circumnavigation of Great Britain in May, when they row from Dumfries and Galloway to Edinburgh, traversing some of the trickiest conditions they’ll have faced to date. To donate, please visit www.row4mnd.com.