The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Twins to replicate polar expedition
that could enable millions of people to walk again.
It is a cause that is particularly close to their hearts. Aged only 17, Hugo Turner suffered a freak accident that left him with a broken neck and suffering from neck down paralysis.
It was only after corrective neck surgery and six months of rehabilitation that Hugo narrowly missed becoming a tetraplegic. “It literally was a lucky break,” Hugo said. “I was just millimetres away from being paralysed. It would be great if people can back us with sponsorship, giving whatever they can afford to help end paralysis for children and adults.”
Promising sportsman Ross also suffered injury when he broke his leg while playing rugby for Loughborough University in 2010, putting an end to his playing ambitions.
The setbacks hahave not stopped the duo from carrying outo outstanding feats of endurance in ththe name of charity, however.
Two years ago, the pair raised £150,000 for Spinal Research by completing the challenging Trans-Atlantic Woodvale Rowing Race in just uunder 42 days, coming third and breaking ttwo world records for being part of the youyoungest crew to achieve such a feat.
Hugo and Ross werwere also the first twins to row across any ocean anywhere in the world. “It’s very hard to ffill the void left by our Atlantic row with a city job,” Hugo said. “Something alalways calls you back to try another chchallenge.” The ppair will now be pulling sleds across the inhospitinhospitable terrain of Greenland,land, trtrekking up to 12 miles a day aand competing against each other with different supplsupplies at their disposal.
TTheir expedition is due to bbegin on May 1.