Popham Kidney Support receives historic donation from Atlantic rowing team

max taylor - journalist

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Swansea-based Popham Kidney Support has secured a record £13,000 donation following selection in a fundraising campaign by Merched y Môr, the first all-female Welsh crew to compete in the World’s Toughest Row Atlantic Challenge.

The donation will help the charity continue providing support services to people affected by kidney disease across Wales.

The Merched y Môr team, comprised of Denise Leonard, Helen Heaton, Liz Collyer and Heledd Williams, completed the 3,000-mile Atlantic crossing from San Sebastián de La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua.

The crew set off on 12 December 2025 and completed the crossing 50 days, 14 hours and 43 minutes later on 2 February 2026, raising more than £70,000 for Popham Kidney Support, Sea Trust Wales, Action for Children and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

A further £5,000 donation from The Waterloo Foundation, secured with the support of Merched y Môr, takes the total raised for Popham Kidney Support to £18,000.

Founded in memory of Paul Popham, the charity provides peer support, counselling, education, awareness programmes, wellbeing activities and practical support for people living with kidney disease and their families. It supported more than 3,000 people across Wales over the past year and has received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

Joanne Popham, CEO of Popham Kidney Support, said: “First and foremost, a massive congratulations to the Merched y Môr team on everything they’ve achieved. Completing a challenge like this takes incredible determination, and we’re incredibly grateful that they chose to support Popham Kidney Support along the way.

“Receiving the largest donation in our charity’s history is a significant moment for us. Every day, we hear from people who need advice, emotional support, or simply someone who understands what they’re going through. This donation will help us continue to be there for those people and their families across Wales.”

Denise Leonard, on behalf of Merched y Môr, said: “Crossing the Atlantic was one of the hardest things we’ve ever done, both individually and as a group, but knowing we were doing it to support charities that make such a difference kept us going through the toughest days.

“Popham Kidney Support does incredible work for people and families affected by kidney disease across Wales, so we’re delighted to be able to make this donation. To know it’s the largest single donation the charity has ever received makes the achievement even more special for all of us.”