A man diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) will attempt to travel the length of the River Thames in a pedalo next week to help others living with the disease.

Alex Gibson formerly represented Great Britain in decathlon and played rugby for Barking, Brentwood, and Loughborough University, before being diagnosed with MND in 2018.

On Wednesday (August 26), he and fellow crewmates Alun Thomas, Andy Long and Joe Reed, will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to travel the length of the Thames (128 miles) on a Pedalo, passing through Richmond en route.

The current record stands at 4.5 days but Alex and the team said ahead of their aquatic adventure they hope to best that and become world record holders in the process.

"We are committed to breaking this Guinness World Record for Challenging MND.

"Being on a pedalo for 13 or 14 hours a day will be tough but I can’t wait!" Alex said.

Alex founded Challenging MND after his diagnosis two years ago and has helped raise over £150,00 to help others living with the disease since.

"We have been training hard and are confident that we can complete the 128 miles faster than anyone before us and raise over £10,000 for charity," Alex added.

The team have so far raised some £3,803 for the cause and hope to make inroads towards their five-figure target ahead of Wednesday's world-record attempt.

MND is a rare condition that progressively damages parts of the nervous system, leading to muscle weakness as specialist nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord called motor neurones stop working properly.

MND can leave people locked in a failing body, unable to move, talk, swallow and eventually breathe.

Up to 5,000 adults are living with MND at any one time in the UK. The prognosis for MND is on average 2-3 years.

To donate to Alex and the crew's fundraising adventure, click here.