Oldest solo Atlantic rower, Frank Rothwell, receives UK Points of Light award

Frank Rothwell, 73, is chair of Oldham Athletic Football Club and the oldest person to row across the Atlantic, having completed the ‘World’s Toughest Row’ twice. He has received recognition from the Prime Minister for raising nearly £1.5 million for Alzheimer’s Research UK.

In 2021, Frank rowed 3,000 miles from the Canary Islands to Antigua, raising £1.1 million for Alzheimer’s Research UK. He did it again in 2023, breaking his own record at 73. After losing loved ones to Alzheimer’s, he completed the challenge in 2024, raising £370,000 more. His total fundraising now exceeds £1.4 million, making him the oldest person to row any ocean.

On receiving the honour from Downing Street, Frank said, “I am incredibly honoured by this recognition. Thank you.

“When I first rowed solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 2021, it was the hardest thing I had ever done. But with dementia remaining such a huge and heartbreaking issue, I was determined to do anything I could to help make a difference, and that’s why I decided to take on the challenge again.

“I am so proud of the funds and awareness I have raised for ‘Alzheimer’s Research UK’, a charity close to my heart, and the support I received shows how much a cure for dementia means to people.” 

The Points of Lights programme was started in 1990 by US President George H. W. Bush before a United Kingdom version was established in 2014.

The prime minister gives out an award each day, recognising outstanding individual volunteers who are making a change in their community.

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