A pair of Yorkshire lawyers taking on the ‘World’s Toughest Row’ across the Atlantic gathered with sponsors and their supported charities at Alwoodley Golf Club, to toast the duo’s progress as they head towards their £150,000 fundraising target. David Knaggs and Richard Larking, who will set off to row their seven-metre boat ‘Brizo’ across the Atlantic from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua in December this year as Team GREENS2BLUE, have already received sponsorship topping £50,000. The duo hatched the plan to take part in the race while golfing together at the Alwoodley Golf Club and are raising funds for charities Maggie’s, which supports people with cancer, their families and friends, and Friends of Alfie Martin, which raises funds for neonatal equipment at the Leeds teaching hospitals. Aged 60 and 59 when the race kicks off, the pair will be two of the oldest participants in a gruelling transatlantic voyage that will see them celebrate Christmas and New Year thousands of miles from their families, facing 40ft waves and hazards including shipping traffic, whales and potential marlin strikes. David said: “It feels great to mark the progress we’ve made towards our fundraising target with the help of our supporters. With a charity ball and golf day still to come in the summer, we’re confident that we can make it all the way by the time we head to the race start in December. “We’re both training really hard as the day draws ever closer and the challenge of more than possibly fifty days at sea becomes more and more real, so this gathering is a little light relief from our diet and exercise regimes.” “The support we’ve had from businesses, friends and well-wishers at the golf club where we first had the idea to take on this challenge has been fantastic, and we’re grateful for everything people are doing to help us towards our target,” added Richard. The pair have secured sponsorship from regional and local businesses since they announced their participation in the race last year. In addition to headline sponsor, independent business rescue and recovery specialist Begbies Traynor, they now have 12 other corporate supporters including Ginetta; Happy Drains; Optivet Referrals; Cellular Pathology Services; Macintosh James & Partners Wealth Management; El Gato Negro Tapas; Middleton Law; Richard Fahey Racing; Springfield Healthcare, Waterer’s Services Limited; Walker Morris and SBFM Ltd. As well as sponsorship, the two charities will benefit from the proceeds of fundraising events including a golf day at Alwoodley Golf Club on 29 May and a black-tie Midsummer Night ball at the Pavilions of Harrogate on 21 June. Julian Pitts, regional managing partner for Begbies Traynor’s 10 offices across Yorkshire, Humberside and the North East, adds: “It’s remarkable to see the progress that Richard and David are making towards their targets, and the physical and mental preparation they are undertaking to make sure they are properly equipped for the weeks of isolation and exertion they have ahead of them once they depart from the Canary Islands in December. “To have already received the sponsorship and donations that they have towards their ambitious fundraising target is a great achievement and hopefully more sponsors and supporters will join the effort in the run up to the race start.” Further opportunities to support the pair in their fundraising, including details of the fundraising events, can be found on www.greens2blue.co.uk

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has identified artificial intelligence as a potential driver of long-term economic growth, comparing its impact to past technological shifts like electricity. Speaking at the University of Leicester, Bailey suggested AI could improve national income and help reverse the UK’s sluggish productivity growth.

Between 2010 and 2019, UK productivity increased by just 0.3% annually, far below the pre-2008 financial crisis average of 2%. This has strained public finances, with expected government spending cuts adding further pressure. Bailey emphasised that maximising AI’s benefits will require investment in workforce skills and infrastructure.

His comments come as businesses watch for signals on interest rate policy. The Bank of England has held rates at a 16-year high of 5.25%, despite inflation falling from 11.1% in October 2022 to 3.4% in February 2025. Lower borrowing costs could provide short-term economic relief, but the Bank remains cautious about premature rate cuts.

AI adoption is expected to reshape industries by automating tasks, improving efficiency, and cutting costs. A 2023 PwC report estimates AI could contribute up to £232bn to the UK economy by 2030, boosting GDP by 10.3%. However, concerns remain over its impact on employment and wage distribution.