UWTSD Lecturer and Merched y Môr Team Visit Senedd Ahead of Atlantic Row

16 July 2025

Denise Leonard, a lecturer in BA Outdoor Adventure Education at the ��Ҵ�ý (UWTSD), has joined a pioneering all-Welsh female rowing team preparing to take on one of the world’s toughest endurance events, the World’s Toughest Row: Atlantic Challenge.

A lady standing by a boat with a big wheel in the background.

As part of their awareness-raising campaign, the team, known as Merched y Môr (Women of the Sea), visited the Senedd on Tuesday, 15th July, to highlight their mission and the vital Welsh and UK charities they are supporting through the challenge.

Denise, alongside teammates Helen Heaton, Heledd Williams, and Liz Collyer, will be the first all-female crew from Wales to take part in the event, a 3,000-mile unaided crossing from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean. Over the course of up to 60 days, they will row in two-hour shifts around the clock, braving extreme weather, isolation, 20-foot waves, and the physical and mental demands of ocean rowing.

Their ambitious goal is to raise £125,000 to support the challenge and to fund four important charities:

Popham Kidney Support, providing vital help for kidney patients across Wales

Sea Trust Wales, championing marine conservation and biodiversity

Action for Children, supporting vulnerable children and families in the UK

RNLI, whose volunteers deliver lifesaving rescue services around the coast

Speaking ahead of the Senedd visit, Denise Leonard said:

“As an outdoor educator, this challenge speaks to everything I value, resilience, teamwork, connection to nature, and community support. It’s more than a physical journey; it’s a chance to inspire others and give back through the incredible work of these charities.”

The Atlantic Challenge is recognised as one of the most demanding endurance races in the world - fewer people have rowed the Atlantic than have summited Everest or travelled to space. The Merched y Môr crew is not only preparing for the physical feat but also working tirelessly to spread awareness and raise funds for causes close to their hearts.

For more information, to follow the team’s journey, or to donate, visit:

Group pic caption: (Left to right) Liz Collyer, Helen Heaton, Denise Leonard and Heledd Williams.

Photo Credit: Digby Fox