A TEAM of rowers, including a York doctor, hope to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.

The four-man Atlantic Lions team, which also includes members from Bristol, London and Surrey, will row from the Canary Islands to Antigua in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Race in December.

They hope to raise £100,000 for the MS Trust, which supports people with MS, their families, friends and health care professionals, and have raised £13,000 so far.

Joe Mile, 25, is a junior doctor at York Hospital and a member of York Rowing Club. He has previously taken part in half marathons and a charity kayak ride from Birmingham to London, but never anything as epic in scale as this.

He said: “When I was asked to participate in the race, having never rowed before, I was told it would be crazy to get involved.

“But the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of rowing across the Atlantic, while hopefully raising money for a wonderful cause, was something I simply could not turn down. And I’ve heard Antigua’s nice as well.” The team also includes Matt Townsend, Dave Middleton and Charlie Hayward.

They decided to raise money for the MS Trust in memory of David’s uncle, Gary Mayrick, who died in 2009.

They must be self-sufficient for the route, organising their own food and drink.

They are organising a charity ball at York Racecourse in July, and ask potential sponsors or prize donors to visit atlanticlions.com or virginmoneygiving.com and search for The Atlantic Lions.