Swansea University Rowing Club's Henley Campaign

Visited by more than 300,000 people each year, Henley Royal Regatta boasts over 300 races across six days of elite sporting competition. The last time a Welsh club qualified for the event was in 2009, with Swansea University Rowing Club never qualifing. This year, we’re looking to change that. However, as a small club training out of a shipping container in a carpark, we face financial barriers to accessing one of the most prestigious regattas in the world. This is where we need your help. Our attempt to achieve something never done before comes with a cost of £1,975.

To give a breakdown of costs... This year, the club will complete a training camp out of Monmouth before competing at the Metropolitan (£170.00) and Marlow (£190.00) Regatta. They will then continue on to Henley Royal Regatta qualifiers (£240.00). To give the 8+ the best chance of qualifying we will be renting an Empacher (£1,000.00). The above doesn't include the cost of trailer/fuel or accommodation fees. We expect our total costs to be £1,975.00.

Our goal for this fundraiser is to raise £1,360.00 to cover the cost of our boat rental and entries for Met and Marlow. However, if we were to exceed our goal, we would cover the cost of logistics and race fees to decrease individual athletes' financial burden.

This year, our men's 8+ crew has demonstrated exceptional performance across recent events (23rd university at HoRR and 16th in the BUCS intermediate category), instilling in us the belief that we can rewrite history. However, this will take work. It will require us to participate in multiple regattas leading up to Henley and rent a competitive 8+ rowing boat—a financial burden our club cannot bear alone.

More about the 8+ who will be attempting to qualify for the Temple Cup:

Phoebe is in her third year at Swansea University, studying MOst in Osteopathy. After completing her novice year at Swansea, she transitioned to coxing and has since coxed the senior men's squad at Hammersmith, HoRR, and BUCS. In addition to her commitments, Phoebe has recently delved into coastal rowing, where she both coxes and races, achieving success with medals at the Fishguard Sculling Regatta as part of the Welsh Coastal Rowing Championships.

Joe is in his final year at Swansea University, where he is studying a BA in Politics and Spanish. He learned to row at Swansea and has previously attempted to qualify for the Henley Royal Regatta. Joe spent a year abroad in Barcelona, where he continued rowing with Barcelona Club de Rem, ranking 5th nationally in the men's quad at the Spanish Championships 2023. Alongside this, Joe coaches the novice men’s squad, who have had success throughout the year, culminating in a win in their varsity race.

Ben is in his third year of university, completing a degree in BSc Mechanical Engineering. Having learned to row at Monmouth School, Ben has been rowing for eight years, has previously coached Swansea’s novice men and now leads the senior men’s program at Swansea University as their Captain. Ben has previously gone to Henley Royal Regatta qualifiers with Swanse’a 2022 senior mens squad and competed at Henley Royal Regatta making it to Thursday with Monmouth School in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup.

Dan is in his first year at Swansea University, pursuing a degree in BSc Mechanical Engineering. With seven years of rowing experience, he learned to row at Shoreham Rowing Club in the south of England. Before university, Dan primarily competed in coastal rowing, with domestic success and several top 20 rankings at the British Rowing Indoor Championships.

Magnus is in his second year at Swansea University, and in his third year of rowing, studying a BA in International Relations and History. Having learnt to row at Kingston Rowing Club, he has since attended qualifiers for the Thames Challenge Cup in 2023. Magnus also serves as the club Secretary, and his accolades include being a two-time winner at the City of Oxford Royal Regatta and a two-time winner of the Welsh Varsity Boat Race

Jack is completing his final year at Swansea University, where he is studying a BSc in Psychology. He learned to row at Swansea in 2021/22 before spending a year abroad at Trinity College Dublin in 2022/23. During his time in Dublin, Jack continued rowing with Dublin University Boat Club, winning the Club 8+ at the 2023 Irish National Championships.

Oscar is in his first year at Swansea University, pursuing a degree in BA Business Management. He learned to row at Bedford School, where he served as Captain of Boats in 2022. With seven years of competitive rowing experience, Oscar has previously competed at the Henley Royal Regatta in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup in 2022.

Having previously studied law in Germany for six years, Chris has come to Swansea University to pursue his LLM in commercial and maritime law. With eight years of rowing experience, he learned to row at RC Allemannia Hamburg von 1866.

Connor brings the most experience to the squad, with 10 years of rowing under his belt, and four consecutive victories in the Welsh Varsity Boat Race. He previously competed at the Henley Royal Regatta in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup in both 2018 and 2019 with St George's School. Connor has also served as the current boatman since 2021. Outside of rowing, he is in his final year at Swansea University, studying BSc Aerospace Engineering.

Follow along this page and su_rowing on Instagram to be a part of this journey and help us achieve this historic goal.

Thank you,

Swansea University Men’s 8+