A GUINNESS record holding disabled rower has visited a school to inspire students about his achievements with a physical disability.
Oaklands Junior School in Crowthorne welcomed Lee Spencer with open arms on Wednesday, February 12, as he gave a presentation to students about his rowing career.
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Lee spoke to students about how its important that "no one should be defined by any disability" and that failure should be embraced, if you do not fail then you are not dreaming enough.
The world record breaker served in the Royal Marines for 24 years, before he lost his right leg after being hit by an engine block as he was helping a motorist who had crashed into the central reservation of the M3 in Surrey in 2014.
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He subsequently received a Pride of Britain award and less than two years later, he and three other injured veterans rowed across the Atlantic and became the world's first physically disabled crew of four to row any ocean, dubbed as 'four men, three legs and one boat'.
In 2019, Lee became the world’s first physically disabled person to row from mainland Europe to mainland South America solo and unsupported.
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The pupils at Oaklands tracked his world record-breaking solo row across the Atlantic during assemblies and they recorded two videos for him to cheer him on and to congratulate him on his amazing achievement.
As a thank you for these videos, Lee, who is also known as ‘The Rowing Marine’, visited the school to give an assembly and be interviewed by Year 6 pupils.
Lee’s next challenge is an Amazonian kayaking trip with Forces of Nature, traversing the South American continent from Nauto, Peru through the Amazon basin in Brazil to the Atlantic coast.
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