Haslemere Mayor, Michael Howard, was on hand to launch the Rowathon which was generously supported by the Friendship Tour’s main sponsors, Input Video Facilities.

Other sponsors for the tour include individual continent sponsors: Ernst & Young plc (Europe), American Rugby Outfitters (USA), Standard Chartered plc (Asia), Hogg Robinson plc (Australia) and Old Mutual plc (Africa).

The Rowathon involved some 600 ten-minute rowing sessions and around 200,000 strokes during which the participants consumed over 300 bottles of Highland Spring water as well as enough energy bars to keep Haslemere alight for a week! The event was best summed up by one of the weary rowers who on leaving the Edge on Sunday afternoon was heard to misquote the Olympic rower Steve Redgrave: “ If anyone sees me near a rowing machine again they have my permission to shoot me!”