Rowers raise £3,000 with all night event

SWANSEA University’s rowing club (SURC) took to their rowing machines for a 24 hour rowing venture which raised nearly £3,000 for their club and charity.

The team of 40 students took it in turn to row with 12 students alternating on a sprint machine for a minute at a time each and the rest rowing at a slower pace.

The event, which took place at Tesco Extra in Fforestfach, saw the team row more than one million metres in total.

The rowers also unofficially beat their previous men’s club record for distance rowed in 24 hours, though the team was bigger than the record team.

Club members Ed Hares and Jon Eardley were key organisers. 

Mr Hares said: “We tried to put a 24 hour row together last year but it fell through because of lack of willing volunteers.

“But this year there were 30 of us who stayed for the entire 24 hours, as well as another ten who supported us through the day and night.

“The club captain Ania gave us a lot of help as well as novice men’s captain, Callum.”

The team chose to donate half the money raised to the Alzheimer’s Society as part of the wider Tesco charity scheme.

The rest of the money goes towards the team fund to buy and repair their boats so that the indoor rowing talent of SURC can be transferred to the water.