A Yorkshire Housing customer is aiming to row 3000 miles unaided across the Atlantic Ocean later this year. So far less than 1700 people have rowed this route and only a handful of them have been women.
Vivienne Barclay who lives in Bentham, North Yorkshire, will be 59 when she sets off from La Gomera, Tenerife in December. If she reaches Antigua, she’ll break a long-held World Record, becoming the oldest female to row unaided across the Atlantic.
Vivienne has a very personal reason for taking on this challenge. Like many women over the age of 45 she suffered debilitating symptoms of the menopause, which she says, ‘brought her life to a halt’. She wants to show herself and other women who are experiencing symptoms that the menopause doesn’t need to get in the way of life. Vivienne is also hoping to raise vital funds for The Menopause Charity, whose aim is to educate everybody so that perimenopause and menopause are properly understood.
Vivienne said: “There are 33 million women in the UK who, at some point in their life, will experience menopause.
“No two menopause stories are the same. Some women will experience very few symptoms, while others will suffer the most extreme symptoms that will have a significant impact on their lives.
“I’m taking on this challenge to show every woman that there is life beyond the menopause.
“At the end of it, I will know that I’ve achieved something big, something meaningful, something that I can look back on and say, ‘I did that, and it opened a door for others.’ And it will feel worth it.”
Unlike most people who take on the challenge, Vivienne is doing so completely self-funded and is relying on the goodwill of local and national businesses for sponsorship. Although she is well over halfway, she still needs to raise around £45,000 by the end of October.
Yorkshire Housing have already pledged £2000 and she’s secured sponsorship from the likes of Booths, DryRobe, Unique Ladies and Lonsdale Health to name just a few.
She’s asking local businesses to get in touch with her to discuss sponsorship opportunities. You can find out more about Vivienne’s remarkable challenge and get in touch with her by visiting her website, www.mumentous.com.