Engineered Timber Solutions Supports Customer’s Team in Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge

ENGINEERED TIMBER SOLUTIONS (ETS) will be supporting a valued customer as they take on the world’s toughest race, the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.

The roof truss manufacturer is sponsoring SMR Builders’ director Stuart Richards who is signed up for the gruelling race as part of the Wrekin Rowers team.

The race starts on 12 December 2021 and the intrepid team of four will be rowing from the Canary Islands to Antigua, which is 3,000 miles across the Atlantic ocean.

Chris Williams, Managing Director of Engineered Timber Solutions explains how the deal came about: “Stuart Richards from the Wrekin Rowers is a customer of ours. He runs SMR Builders along with his two brothers. The company has a fantastic local reputation for building very quickly without compromising quality. As soon I heard what they were taking on I knew we needed to support them.”

Wrekin Rowers

The Wrekin Rowers team comprises of Stuart and Gary Richards, Martin Skehan and Stuart Shepherd. They intend to raise £100,000, which will be split between two charities, the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), and Severn Hospice. The RNIB charity was chosen, as Stuart Richards is visually impaired, although it has never stopped him taking on a challenge. The Severn Hospice was chosen for their exemplary care and was selected as family and friends of the rowers have been looked after there.

Stuart Richards of the Wrekin Rowers said: “We are pleased to have Engineered Timber Solutions support us on this big adventure. It is quite a daunting challenge but we are training hard and looking forward to it. To put it into perspective fewer people have rowed an ocean than have climbed Mount Everest.”