The Brief
In December 2023, Fife businessman, Henry Cheape, embarked upon the challenge to row solo 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to raise £250,000 for conservation and environment charities. These included Global Canopy, a data-driven not-for-profit organisation that targets the market forces destroying nature; Sustain which campaigns for a healthy and sustainable food system and Nomad Conservation Fund which helps conserve wildlife, habitat and wilderness in Tanzania.

The unsupported trans-Atlantic row, in a vessel called the PollyAnne, from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua, could have taken anything up to ten weeks to complete and is a feat of mental, physical and psychological endurance. Henry did it in just over 49 days – the fastest solo Scot to date.

The Action
With the row at the heart of Henry’s endeavour, our team developed a golden thread sustainability narrative to encapsulate the ongoing story leading to an official launch and ongoing PR. This narrative was central in supporting the row - by using only local food suppliers from across Scotland to sustain his Atlantic venture, Henry’s aim is to promote the message that sustainability is at the heart of a better future – from the food we grow on our farms to education that empowers people to lead sustainable lives. At every one of Henry’s milestones from a Q&A with adults and children on the dockside in St Andrews, to researching and confirming he was indeed the fastest solo Scot, and telling his loves and loathes at 1,000 miles to go - we developed every press angle to secure coverage.

Equally important throughout the campaign was to call out to all Scottish producers to help fuel Henry’s row. We assisted in developing the sponsor packs, which ensured all producers got appropriate PR support.

Lastly, through our stakeholder relations, we made sure that all three of Henry’s chosen charities were included in the story and were provided with a toolkit of updates that they could support on their social channels.

Being in the middle of the Atlantic and ensuring a PR campaign is ongoing can be challenging. By having a planned and considered approach and by the power of modern technology Henry’s story was told. Monitoring daily updates from the race team and developing them into hooks was a crucial part of the PR campaign.

The Result
From a national TV spot on STV, The Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail and the Metro, Henry’s story has touched the hearts and minds of many. On arriving in Antigua, Henry’s donations had topped over £100K.