Stronger Twogether

Hello and welcome to the official SNAP Sponsorship profile of Stronger Twogether.

We're delighted to announce that we’ve now partnered with SNAP Sponsorship and we’re looking for sponsors who are excited about affiliating themselves with an ambitious couple taking on the World's Toughest Row.

We are Ian and Jooles Paillin-Dean and we're rowing the Atlantic in December 2025 to fulfil our dream of rowing an ocean, to do something incredible together and to inspire our three girls.

We'll strive to craft a partnership with our sponsors that meets their specific objectives. Find out more about us and our exciting journey below. Thank you for visiting our profile.

Who Are We?

With Ian and Jooles living in landlocked Midlands, you couldn’t really get much further from the sea. So why on earth are these newlyweds taking on the World’s Toughest Race? Where did it all begin?
 

Julia Paillin-Dean

Jooles is drawn to open water. It helps to release the stresses of everyday life, eases her mind and frees her soul. Her first time on a boat was when she was just five days old and she started living on boats at the age of 10. Both her parents still live on the water, just a stroll, or gentle swim or paddle away from Jooles’ own home by the River Soar. Through the kitchen window she can see her self-built pontoon and double scull boat with a coxswain seat – and now our ocean rowing boat on the driveway. 

As a child, Jooles explored the inland waterways of Britain and Holland with her parents, learnt to sail, played the piano accordion and threw herself into gaining all three Duke of Edinburgh awards. Her rowing career began in 2007 and she excelled quickly and worked hard to achieve success and gain course records at the Boston Marathon in 2012 and 2017 and also in the 100km Concept 2 Heavyweight Women's Team event, alongside having her two children. Jooles has clocked up over forty regatta and head race wins despite being technically coxswain sized. Most recently winning at the British Rowing Master’s Championships in Strathclyde in 2019 with Derwent Rowing Club, who she was invited to row with, before turning her attention to endurance training.  She has battled against prejudice and cynicism for not fitting the rowing mould and intends to prove that size doesn’t matter against the Atlantic Ocean.

Jooles has also participated in various coastal rowing races, notably the Orestone Challenge 40km, the 30km Vogalonga in Venice and the prestigious Queen's Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the Thames in 2012. Jooles has also completed many full marathons on the Concept2 and even more half-marathons over the years, most notably completing 30 half-marathons in 45 days in 2019 and 2021 as part of the ‘Crazy Bear Challenge’. Other rowing adventures include coastal rowing in Naples and Marseilles and inland adventures in Holland and Austria. 

With her first child still a toddler, Jooles became one of three founding members of the Devil’s Elbow Rowing Club and led their successful fundraising campaign to build a new boathouse for both the rowing club and Trent Valley Sailing Club. 

Her resolve to prove that she can fulfil her rowing dreams for herself and her supporters has kept her going through the loss of her partner and her business in 2020. These challenges, along with those of a single parent, and a promise to her partner in his last days that she would not give up her dream, have created a resilience and self-belief in her that anything is possible. The thought of an Atlantic crossing has been a constant light in her life.

Jooles is a powerhouse of rowing knowledge and experience, a fireball of ambition and determination with a heart full of passion for the sea, for rowing and for anyone in her tribe or those supporting her on her journey through life. She is a constant source of motivation for others too, whether it’s making small daily changes to their fitness or business, or getting people to dream big by inspiring them to row an ocean themselves or to cycle around Britain. Her resoluteness and desire to bring positive changes to the world is tangible. She really makes a difference to the people who meet her. Even her kids write about her as an ‘inspirational mum’, and she’s not even rowed the Atlantic yet! 

But she will.

Ian Paillin-Dean

54 and Dad to an ‘often embarrassed by her dad’, 14-year-old daughter, Ian is the middle child, born to parents who met thanks to the sea. Ian’s father worked in the British Navy and his mother was a SWAN (Singapore Women's Auxiliary Navy).

Ian has a varied work history which in 2008, led him to working in schools – where he found his vocation. Ex-pupils and fellow staff members describe him as confident, spontaneous, fun, happy and chatty. These characteristics along with Ian's ability to turn his hand to anything practical, will be invaluable when tackling the ocean row. 

Away from work he’s often found 'treading the boards' of local theatres in all manner of musical theatre productions and has been doing so for 25 years. It’s on these stages that you may get a glimpse of those legendary snake hips. Very useful during his Salsa lessons and the five years he taught Zumba.

Alongside singing and dancing, Ian fills his time with a wide range of activities such as hiking, kayaking, cycling, open-water swimming, rowing and Obstacle Course Races. It was in training for his first OCR run that Ian started climbing and found particular enjoyment when he was bouldering. 

After being inspired by the screening for the documentary Pacific Terrific (where he met Jooles for the first time), the seed was sown and Ian began to ask himself,  "Could I do it? Could I take on this challenge that would inspire others to achieve something amazing?"

Described by friends as thoughtful, caring, happy, energetic and barmy, he will be the one working at keeping their spirits up when they're on that 3,000 mile, mad rowing adventure across the Atlantic.  

Why Sponsor Us?

Recently married, husband and wife Ian and Jooles, share a dream of crossing the deep, wild and unpredictable Atlantic Ocean in a tiny ocean row boat. 3000 miles, battling waves up to 30 foot high. The World's Toughest Row begins on December 12th 2025, with up to 40 teams participating from around the world.

Rowers have to cope with blisters, salt rashes, sleep deprivation and rowing in two-hour shifts around the clock for weeks on end, facing all the raw elements of the Atlantic Ocean. Boats are typically seven meters long and just under two meters wide, with only a small cabin for protection against storms. All boats are equipped at the race start, and cannot stop to get help with repairs or food and water during the crossing. All boats are professionally and reliably built to sustain the full race.

Now we, Team Stronger Twogether need your help to raise £150,000. As well as helping us to fulfill our dreams, these are just some of the reasons you might want to sponsor us: 

• Exposure to millions* – have your name on our boat or oars
• Promotion on our website and social media
• Mentions in the press
• Possible world records
• Contributing to and supporting local charities
• You'll be joining us on one of the biggest challenges known to man
• Leave a legacy

*In 2018/2019, the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge Race Report recorded an overall audience reach of 121,450,200 and 52,600,000 people. This included:

• 223+ individual Television broadcasts, 248 hours of coverage and 15,100,000 viewers
• 2,105 unique press articles and 21,600,000 people reached in print
• 4,236 digital placements and 11,250,000 followers reached

How can you get involved and help as part of this inspirational project to get us to the start line?

• You can become an OAR sponsor, Title Sponsor, join our friends and family club and have your name on the boat.
• You can help by donating your time through your business services, professional time and or donating products we could raffle or sell on to raise funds for the project. 

The Charity We’ll Be Supporting

LOROS – a local hospice charity which every year cares for over 2,500 people across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. They deliver free, high-quality, compassionate care and support to terminally ill patients, their family and carers.