A WOMAN’S musings about her rowing adventures has resulted in her being shortlisted for a national blogging aw­ard.

Patricia Carswell from Monmouth has been a member of the town’s rowing club for five years, progressing from a novice to winning a silver medal at the British Masters Championships despite struggling with the after-effects of M.E.

Patricia started writing her blog in 2011 after her husband had become immune to her constant updates about rowing and suggested that she should write about it.

And so the ‘Girl on the River’ blog was born.

The blog has been shortlisted in the Sport & Fitness category of the UK Blog Awards, sponsored by Action PR.

Now in its fourth successful year, the 2017 UK Blog Awards is the largest awards event for the UK blogging scene, celebrating the best creative writers, photographers and vloggers across 17 different categories.

Patricia said: “I’m absolutely astonished to be a finalist in the UK Blog Awards, as I thought that a niche rowing blog would have no chance of making it through, but I hadn’t banked on the power of the rowing community.

“I had rowers from the most far-flung places voting for me and spreading the word, which was incredible and so humbling.

“What started as a little hobby has become a way of connecting with rowers from all over the world, and the support I’ve had is amazing.”

With the continual growth of social platforms and blogging, the potential for brands, businesses and individuals to cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with bloggers is enormous. The theme of the of the UK Blog Awards this year is “Blog Hero” in recognition of the power bloggers have to highlight products, services and individuals that catch their eye and champion them among their audiences.

Gemma Newton, UK Blog Awards director said: “The rise of social media channels has changed the way online content is perceived and the world of blogging and vlogging has never been so creative or influential.”

The winners will be announced at a presentation ceremony in London on April 21.