Eight men from the Hertfordshire suburbs will be rowing the Channel in aid of breast cancer awareness charity, Future Dreams.

Craig and Dale Henry, Daniel and Simon Frankel Pollen, Anthony Richards, Adam Cramer, Andy Okin and Miles Kelly aim to raise at least £20,000 from the 22-mile Dover to Calais challenge in June. The rowers are in their 30s and 40s — the oldest is 48 — and have little previous seafaring experience.

The charity was founded in 2008 by the Henrys’ mother and sister, Sylvie and Danielle, who respectively died of cancer aged 61 and 40. They fundraised for Future Dreams during their treatment.

“We’re doing it for my late mother and sister,” said Craig Henry, 40, who plays football for the London Lions. “They were diagnosed at the same time and died within a year of each other. A lot of people do marathons — this is something different. Only one of us has rowing experience at university, the rest of us are amateurs so we train in the gym.” They have also set to sea at Portsmouth — “absolutely freezing, but adrenaline rushing”, Mr Henry added.