Llangwm Rowing Club is preparing to face one of the country’s most gruelling rowing races in May.

The team of 12, six men and six women, will join other rowers from across the UK, attempting to row their longboats 96 miles across the Irish Sea, from Arklow to Aberystwyth.

The voyage is expected to take 18 hours, but in 2008 adverse weather conditions meant the Llangwm team took more than 24 hours to complete the endurance challenge.

Teams set off in the afternoon, rowing through the night in shifts before hitting dry land early the next morning.

The team hopes to raise at least £5,000, which will be divided between Angle RNLI, the breast cancer campaign, Everyman and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, after fuel costs.

The crew is training regularly, even taking to the river in the early evening to ensure members are prepared for the difficult crossing.

Club chairman Mandi Chesterman said that they still need to find a support boat of at least ten metres to accompany them.

“We need to find a support boat to come along side in case we get into difficulties. Five of us will be rowing at a time with the rest of the crew on the support boat.

“The boat has to meet certain standards and we have been trying really hard to get one because we can’t take part without one. We are really keen to, because we are doing it for charity,” she added.

The club will be holding fundraising events in the run up to the event.

Anyone with a MCA CG66 boat who could support the team can contact Mandi on mandi.chesterman@ hotmail.co.uk.