Heledd's oar-some Atlantic adventure

We all know better than most how amazing the staff are at Calon Cymru but one member of staff in particular is preparing to take on a challenge that makes her stand out as someone really quite amazing. What would you say to spending 40 days out on the open sea with three of your friends, sounds great right?

Well, how about if you were aboard an ocean rowing boat rowing 3000 miles across the Atlantic from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua? That is exactly what Quality Assurance Manager, Heledd Williams is preparing to do and we couldn’t let that go unnoticed. We are incredibly proud of Heledd for taking on this impressive challenge for charity and jumped at the chance to sponsor the team to achieve their goal.

Merched Y Môr, a crew of four ladies from Pembrokeshire, will be the first All Wales female crew to take on The World’s Toughest Row organised by Atlantic Campaigns.

Heledd and three other Pembrokeshire women, known as Merched Y Mor, will be setting off on December 12, 2025, to undertake this challenge that will put both their bodies and minds to the test.

Crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a rowing boat is not for the faint hearted and we will be faced with many challenges that we must overcome - more people have gone into space than have crossed this treacherous stretch of sea, with up to 20-foot waves to battle!

This might make you think they must be crazy to take on this, in our view, incredibly scary journey but the ladies are taking to the sea for a good reason. Four wonderful charities will be benefitting from the money raised. Financial support is vital in undertaking such a monumental challenge and for the last two years, the crew have been working hard to raise £125,000 to make their vision a reality. When the race is over, they will be selling their ocean rowing boat (a Rannoch RX54) and the funds raised will be split amongst the chosen charities.

Hailing from Pembrokeshire and living on the edge of the sea, we’re all made of tough stuff, so we know that we have the determination and motivation to complete this test for ourselves and for our chosen charities ~ Sea Trust Wales, Popham Kidney Support, RNLI and Action For Children.
Calon Cymru has been incredibly generous in their support, and we are so thankful and proud to have them on board as one of our BRONZE sponsors! As corporate sponsors, Calon Cymru will not only be supporting our four fantastic charities, they will also be helping to part fund our beautiful ocean rowing boat as well as vital safety equipment for our crossing.

Now you know what it is all about we are sure that you are asking the same question we did, what takes you from Social Worker/Quality Assurance Manager to Atlantic Rower? Here’s what Heledd had to say:

My personal story

Having lived in Pembrokeshire all my life, I’ve always had an affinity for the sea and in 2017, I started rowing. I was looking for an outdoor sport to keep me active and I was soon hooked! Over the next five years, I rowed as a crew of four in Celtic Long boats both socially and competitively and I have been part of the winning ladies crew in the Welsh Sea Rowing league on two occasions.

In 2022, I stumbled across a social media post whereby a crew of three ladies local to me were looking for a fourth member to join them in rowing across the Atlantic in 2025. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity I could not ignore, so I got in touch… and the rest is history.

Denise, Helen, Liz and I are now known as Merched Y Môr.

The question I get asked most often is why on earth would I embark on something so ‘crazy’ and my answer is always ‘why not?!’ Why not test my body and mind to its limit and see what I’m actually capable of? Without a doubt, this will be the hardest thing I will ever do, but I will be doing it with three amazing women who will become my anchors. We are already learning so much about ourselves as we prepare for this challenge, and without sounding too clichéd, it really is a voyage of discovery. Not only will we be raising money for four worthwhile charities, we hope to inspire girls and women who go about their everyday lives from Monday to Friday, 9-5 wondering if there’s adventure to be had. We are four very ordinary women with very ordinary lives who are hoping to achieve the extraordinary and we will be taking Calon Cymru with us all the way!

We would like to wish them all the very best of luck in their voyage and we can’t wait to see how they get on.