Oldham grandfather becomes oldest man to row 3,000 miles solo across Atlantic
A 70-year-old grandfather from Oldham smashed a world record this weekend after rowing 3,000 miles unassisted across the Atlantic Ocean and raising hundreds of thousands in the process.
A grandfather from Oldham has smashed a world record after rowing 3,000 miles unassisted across the Atlantic Ocean and raising hundreds of thousands in the process.
Frank Rothwell, 70, set sail from the Canary Islands on December 12 and crossed the finish line 56 days later (achieving his target of making it to the Caribbean by Valentine’s Day).
His arrival in Antigua on Saturday was greeted by whoops and cheers from supporters – officially making Frank the oldest person to complete the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.
The feat has so far raised over £700,000 for Alzheimer’s Research UK; a cause close to Frank’s heart after his brother-in-law Roger – who suffered from the condition – passed away during the row.
The hope is to generate £1 million overall.
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Frank Rothwell made history by becoming the oldest person to row solo across the Atlantic 🚣♂️⁰ We’ll speak to Frank this morning on #BBCBreakfast ⏰
Frank Rothwell, a 70-year-old grandfather from Oldham, has become the oldest person to row unassisted across the Atlantic Ocean – raising more than £640,000 for charity.
Frank, who trained for 18 months for the challenge, told media after completing his journey he felt “quite emotional” at the finish line and admitted he was “relieved it was all over”.
He added: “The self-discipline, that’s the hardest thing. You can lay there and drift along with the wind and the current at 1 mile an hour, or you can get on the oars and go three miles an hour.
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“Obviously I’m an old man with an old body, so I’ve got a few adaptions to the boat to make it easier for myself – my seat is a racing car seat rather than a little pad that others sit on.”
Frank also thanked the five thousands supporters who’d donated to the cause so far and his wife who he described as his “rock”.
Hilary Evans, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “We’re incredibly moved by Frank’s determination to raise £1m for dementia research. By taking on such a monumental challenge at 70 years old, he has helped to spread awareness and inspired people of all ages to take on their own challenges.
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“To bring about life-changing treatments for dementia, fundraising efforts from ordinary people like Frank and his supporters provide a crucial lifeline to the progression of our research.”
Learn more about Frank’s Atlantic Challenge on his website.
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Six teenage boys arrested following stabbing of 13-year-old in Rochdale town centre
Emily Sergeant
Six teenage boys have been arrested following the stabbing of a 13-year-old in Rochdale town centre over the weekend.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that officers were called out to reports of a ‘serious assault’ near the Riverside Shopping Centre in central Rochdale on Saturday (29 August), and when they arrived on the scene, they found that a 13-year-old boy had been stabbed.
The young boy currently remains in hospital receiving treatment, while a police investigation into the incident is open and ongoing.
Two teenage boys were first arrested on suspicion of assault and possession of a bladed article on the same day the incident occurred (29 August), but have since been released on bail.
Officers then made four further arrests yesterday (31 August), again all teenage boys who were arrested on suspicion of assault and possession of a bladed article, with enquires ongoing.
A Section 60 and 60AA ‘stop and search’ authority was introduced in Rochdale town centre following the recent incidents in area and following reports of youths carrying weapons in the locality, and this has now been extended to 3pm today (Tuesday 1 September).
“This was a serious and sustained attack that could have had far more tragic consequences,” explained Detective Superintendent, Richard Hunt .”Our team of experienced detectives is working around the clock to understand exactly what happened, identify all those involved, and secure the strongest possible evidence.
“We will relentlessly pursue every lead available to us and will leave no stone unturned in bringing all those responsible before the courts.
“Community safety remains our absolute priority, and we are committed to ensuring those who seek to bring violence onto our streets are held fully accountable for their actions.”
Can you help? Anyone who witnessed the incident, was in the town centre at the time, or has any mobile phone, CCTV, or dashcam footage, is urged to come forward and speak to police on 101, quoting log 2750 of 29/08/2026, or using the LiveChat function on the GMP website.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – GMP
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High School Musical at Lowry, Salford – a night spent reliving our childhood | Review
Amy Williams
What a night spent reliving our childhood.
Now, I don’t want to exaggerate or seem biased, considering this is one of my favourite film trilogies of all time, but this could be the best stage show I’ve seen in a long while.
We all know how High School Musical goes, right? Set at East High, we follow Troy and Gabriella (the star basketball player, and the geeky new girl) who meet over New Year, and then become ‘star-crossed lovers’ when back at school as they’re part of two different ‘cliques’.
The duo mess with the ‘Status Quo’ when they audition for the school musical. But will they stick to what they know? Or become stars of the stage? I’m sure you know the ending.
High School Musical is currently on stage at Lowry, Salford / Credit: Matt Crockett (Supplied)
From the costumes and the characters, to the memorable songs (there’s actually 52 songs in this production, including a mega mix at the end), they’ve kept right to the script of the films – and that’s exactly what we wanted to see.
Of course, the biggest throwback of them all is Kaycee Stroh – who originally featured as Martha Cox in the film trilogy – taking the role as Ms Darbus, and she was just as incredible as we expected her to be. And to see her do the iconic dance in the finale was unbelievable, 13-year-old Amy was screaming.
Also featuring Jason Donovan as Coach Bolton, Tobias Turley as Troy, Leonor Correia as Gabriella, Caitlin Tipping Sharpay, and Luke Bayer as Ryan, it was a proper impressive cast all round.
It’s a night to properly relive your mid-00s childhood / Credit: Matt Crockett (Supplied)
There was crowd interaction right from the off, as they taught the crowd a cheerleading routine to be included later in the show, plus for the finale, they had the lyrics on the big screen too so everyone could sing-along.
If we could go and see this show every single night, we would – it is absolutely brilliant.
The Manc -
8th February 2021 
