An Espom man will undertake a gruelling row from London to Paris next week depsite having a heart attack while training on a rowing machine.

Roger Davis, 62, from Burdon Lane, will undergo the six day challenge rowing three hours on and three hours off continuously.

He will set off on Sunday, May 9, rowing down the Thames and out to sea before reaching France and travelling to Paris via the Seine.

The journey, which will be undertaken with 11 other rowers, spans a total of 485 miles and will raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

He said: “I feel apprehensive. It’s exiting but its also very demanding. But I look challenge in the eye. I’m not dead, I’m 62, so I’m proving I can still do things. Life stops when you die.”

This is just the latest in a series of eye-watering challenges for Mr Davis, who is the director of an IT company.

Last year he took part in a race to the North Pole despite suffering a heart attack during his training.

At the time, he thought he has simply pulled a muscle but after the pain continued for several days his wife took him to hospital.

He was fitted with a stent valve and two weeks later was training again for his journey.

The challenge involved 25 days of walking across the pole, with temperatures reaching -61°C.

Mr Davis has also taken part in the London Marathon three times and has undertaken five “Tough Guy” races, which involve obstacle courses which test endurance.

Last month he carried out a sponsored row on a machine to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

He said: “When I had the heart attack, I didn’t have second thoughts about going to the Pole. I don’t want to sit in an old people’s home and regret.

“They’ve given me a defibrillator to take on this rowing trip in case I get a heart attack. Obstacles may be thrown in my way but I’ll never give up.”