Why we’re rowing

Central London Samaritans provide emotional support to people struggling to cope - including those experiencing suicidal thoughts. They’ve been doing this all day, all night, every single day of the year, for nearly 75 years.

No script, no advice, no judgement. Just someone to listen and to provide space for callers to explore how they’re feeling. Every call is important, because we all need someone to talk to at some point in our lives - and it’s good to know that someone is always there.

Central London Samaritans is volunteer-led and is run almost entirely on donations. That is why we are rowing.

Cam has been a listening volunteer at the branch since 2019, and Harry begins his training this year. Samaritans was not picked from a charity list. We already knew what a shift costs, and what it is worth.

We have always found that putting your mind and body to the test lends a new perspective on life. We are taking on our biggest physical challenge yet for a cause close to both of us.

There was no discussion when it came to choosing who to row for. Just "we are doing this for Samaritans, right", with instant agreement.

Team Sea Major arrived at this challenge from different angles. Cam, inspired by others he knew who had taken on ocean rowing before, wanted adventure and a real challenge, but had yet to find a crewmate mad enough to do it with him. So each year he watched on vowing that one day he’d be in one of those boats.

For Harry, it was his father who first brought the Atlantic row to his attention. Having just finished a 14 day cycle spanning the length of the UK in 2025, they were looking for their next adventure. Ultimately, they decided not to row as a pair but Cam revealed he had been dreaming of the challenge for years. And so Team Sea Major was born.

Raising money for Samaritans was the final piece of the jigsaw, and once this was agreed it became clear this was bigger than either one of them. Suddenly, every mile rowed became a call answered.