Woman shining light on menopause with Atlantic row

A rower from North Yorkshire aims to become the oldest woman to row solo across the Atlantic to help inspire women going through the menopause.

Vivienne Barclay, 59, from Bentham, will start her 3,000-mile challenge from the Canary Islands on 12 December and hopes to row for up to 16 hours a day until she reaches Antigua.

Her world record attempt was partly inspired by the Yorkshire Rows, who became the oldest all-female team to row across the Atlantic unassisted in 2016.

Ms Barclay said she wanted to shine a light on what post-menopausal women could achieve through “grit and determination”.

She said: “To get me through the tough moments I’m going to have little sayings on the boat, such as Mary Oliver’s quote: "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

“I’ll also have things that people have said to me that have spurred me on, like being told that it is not possible, or telling me it’s too risky."

The rower will be raising money for the British Menopause Society and other menopause-related charities during The World's Toughest Row challenge.

She continued: “While there’s a lot of wanting to do good with this, to raise money and shine a light on the achievements of women post-menopause, there is also quite a bit of me that wants to prove people wrong.”

Ms Barclay added that her self-confidence “really took a hit” while she was going through the menopause.

"Spending time on the boat for several days at a time while training proved to me that I could do it and have that grit and determination, which was a really big deal and has solidified that self-belief," she said.

“I’ll miss my two daughters and my dog Otto, who is a nine-year-old black Labrador, but I think I’m going to be OK."

The challenge was also inspired by her grandmother, who was a crane driver during World War Two.

She added: “I know there will be times when I’m going to be struggling, but I’ll know that I’ll be able to message my daughters and I’ll be speaking to the race organisers and land-based safety crew."

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