Tom Skinner, Financial Planning director and co-founder of London-based Barnaby Cecil Financial Planning, is raising money for charity with a solo trans-Atlantic crossing row.

Mr Skinner hopes to raise £100,000 for those living with Lewy body dementia.

He is training every day with the aim of competing against nine other solo rowers crossing the 3,000 miles from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua. The race will take place at the end of 2025.

He was inspired to take on the challenge by his father-in-law John. The former airline pilot retired at 58 after he developed Lewy body dementia. He now needs full time care and support.

Lewy body dementia is the second most common form of the disease in older people. The key symptoms are cognitive fluctuations, sleep disturbance, such as acting out dreams, hallucinations and movement issues similar to Parkinson’s.

Mr Skinner said being at sea over the festive period will be an additional challenge when already facing unpredictable weather conditions, isolation, and the monotony of the open sea.

He said: “I am fit and strong, but it will be a tough mental challenge as much as physical. I will miss the family – especially on Christmas Day, that will be miserable. I will be eating – dehydrated expedition food! The perfect day on the sea will be five three-hour rows. The whole journey tends to take about 44 days, but my target is 40.”

Jacqui Cannon, CEO of Lewy Body Society, who will be the recipient of the fundraising, said: “The scale of Tom’s challenge is quite staggering. More than 3,000 miles at sea alone seems unimaginably difficult.

"We know Lewy body dementia families often feel something like that sort of isolation and we are working hard to ensure they have the support they need when they feel they can’t cope. Tom’s support for Lewy Body Society’s work during this global event will help raise much needed awareness putting our dementia care and research on the map.”

Mr Skinner is Financial Planning director of Barnarby Cecil, which he co-founded in 2019. The name Barnaby Cecil takes the middle names of his two young children. Previous roles include senior Financial Planning positions at Smith & Williamson and Cavendish Medical & Wealth Management.