Shetlander to row Thames in homemade boat for MND charity

Glenn Tonner will row the Thames next month.

A Shetlander living near London will row 83 miles down the River Thames in a homemade boat to raise money for MND Scotland.

Glenn Tonner, 33, will row next month in aid of his mother, who died from motor neurone disease (MND) in 2012.

He began building the boat, aptly named Lockdown, as a way of keeping busy during the pandemic.

While living in North London, Tonner used reclaimed materials such as wood from a local restaurant renovation, an old seat gifted by Goring Gap Rowing Club and even a pair of oars crafted from a neighbour’s old chopping board.

Tonner will row from his now home in Goring to where he began crafting the boat first.

Not only will Tonner spend the entirety of four days rowing but in the evening he will also sleep on the boat, with much-needed refreshments being provided by his supportive wife, Fiona.

He joked the boat was “not the Hilton”, but said sleeping in the boat was “surprisingly okay”.

The money raised by his challenge will help to provide life-changing services and fund vital research.

On his personal connection to MND Scotland, Tonner said: “I’m raising funds for MND Scotland because it’s a cause very close to my heart and they do genuinely life-changing work.

“In 2012 I lost my mother to MND when she was only 52. She was diagnosed in 2010.

“I grew up in the Shetland Islands and MND Scotland is the leading charity in Scotland providing care and support to people affected by MND, as well as funding vital research into finding a cure.”

Tonner will leave Goring on Monday, 13th December and expects to arrive in North London on Thursday 16th.