48 Oriel College alumni to row across Channel in £1 million challenge

48 alumni from Oriel College together with current students and staff will row across the English Channel, in an attempt to raise £1 million to establish an endowment for the College’s boat club.

The cross-Channel rows will take place over four weekends in April and May 2026, during Oriel’s 700th anniversary year. The rowers will cross the 35 mile stretch between Ramsgate and Dunkirk in six Cornish pilot gigs — six-oar boats built to withstand rough sea conditions. A seventh, all-student boat will also complete a route through the Solent, north of the Isle of Wight.

Oriel College Provost Lord Mendoza said:

“The scale of participation in the alumni Channel row to mark our 700th anniversary year is staggering. It demonstrates the lasting bonds students form on the water as well as a love for their college.

“An endowment for the boat club will ensure the future of coached rowing for all students.”

The alumni who will attempt the challenge include former students from all of the past seven decades. The oldest among them is aged 75. An all-women crew will complete one of the rows.

Organising team member and Channel rower Adam Frost said:

“Celebrating Oriel College’s 700th anniversary is inspiring. Rowing the Channel is a challenge — apparently, fewer people have completed it than have climbed Mount Everest.

“Personally though, the greatest joy of planning the Oriel Channel Row is seeing the camaraderie — across the generations, men and women, current students and alumni — all sharing a deep appreciation of Oriel and love of rowing.”

An endowment for Oriel’s boat club would keep rowing free for all students, of all abilities, and fund a permanent coach, securing the long-term success of rowing at the college.

Channel rower Roz Lawson said:

“I never expected to row, but at Oriel in 1987 almost every person in my year gave it a go. I’m so pleased to hear that the endowment would maintain Oriel’s commitment to free rowing for all students — I would never have started rowing if I’d had to pay a membership fee.

“I’m so grateful to Oriel for introducing me to an outdoor, all-year-round sport that’s taken me to some beautiful stretches of water and some fabulous team bonding experiences. I’m excited (and a little scared) for the Oriel Channel Row!”

Channel rower Tim Shepheard-Walwyn said:

“Taking part in the Oriel Channel Row was a challenge I really could not pass up. As a former complete novice who learned to row as a student, I can vouch for the life-changing experience that is available to anyone who takes up rowing at Oriel. Not only did it provide me with the opportunity to be part of an elite crew that could compete with the best in the country in 1972, it also established a lifelong friendship group who still meet up every year over 50 years later.”

The cross-Channel rows are scheduled for 11–12 April 2026, 25–26 April 2026, 9–10 May 2026, and 30–31 May 2026. The student row through the Solent will take place on 11–12 April 2026.

Supporters can donate to the boat club endowment appeal via the official fundraising page.