Frankly, he’s oar-some!

By George Rose

ALL ABORAD: Oldham Athletic chairman Frank Rothwell gets ready to row across the Atlantic for the second time

PICTURE: Alex Wallace Photography

CHARITABLE Oldham Athletic chairman Frank Rothwell is to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean – at the age of 73.

Grandad Rothwell is to take part in the World’s Toughest Row, from the Canary Islands to Antigua, in December with the aim of raising £1 million for Alzheimer’s Research UK.

It will be the second time that Rothwell has taken on this challenge for the charity, having raised over £1.1 million when he previously completed the row in February 2021.

This saw him become the Guinness World Record holder for the oldest person to row across the Atlantic, the world’s second largest ocean.

Rothwell, who took over the Latics last July, has named his boat ‘For A Cure,’ to reflect the charity’s mission to find a cure for dementia, something personally important to him.

Devastating

While away during the 2020 race, Rothwell received the heartbreaking news that his brother-inlaw, Roger, had passed away with Alzheimer’s at the age of 62.

Earlier this year, he also lost his best friend, who passed away with the disease. Now he hopes to raise as much awareness and money as possible for Alzheimer’s Research UK so that, one day, every person is free from the heartbreak caused by dementia.

Rothwell said: “I’m back and ready to row across the Atlantic Ocean solo – for the second time!

“ This time, I’m 73 years old and even busier than I was before, having become the proud owner of Oldham Athletic. But I’m a big believer in living life with no regrets, which is why I want to race again this year.

“I’m not frightened of the challenge ahead, but I am frightened of Alzheimer’s. I’ve seen the heartbreak that it causes. Sadly, I’ve lost two people that I love to dementia, my brother-in-law, Roger, during my 2020 race, and my best friend only a couple of months ago. It’s devastating. I don’t want others to go through it, so I am determined to help Alzheimer’s Research UK change lives.”

Community

Hilary Evans, Chief Executive at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “We are in awe of Frank for deciding to race again for Alzheimer’s Research UK.

“We’d love to see the public and football community get behind Frank by donating to his Just-Giving page if they are able to do so. These donations will raise crucial funds towards accelerating progress for a cure.”

Iceland Foods, a longterm partner and supporter of the charity, will be generously match-funding the first £100,000 of donations made to Frank’s JustGiving page, found at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/frankrothwell