Love Rowing provided grants to 25 inclusive community rowing projects

Love Rowing announced funding for 25 projects across the UK in December 2022 to bring more people into the sport of rowing. This year, Love Rowing is supporting more projects than ever before and is delighted to work in partnership with British Rowing to fund an extra 12 initiatives in this grant round.

The funded initiatives will provide children from low income household families, ethnically diverse community groups and people with disabilities to learn to row and enjoy the benefits the sport brings.

We received a record number of very strong applications for the grant round which made the review process extremely difficult.

Supported projects included:

• Fairlop Rowing Club
  An initiative introducing female Asians to rowing. Fairlop RC and Fitness 310 will work in partnership with the Muslimah Sports Association (MSA), a charity that was setup to give Muslim women a safe and positive environment to participate in sport without compromising their religious or cultural beliefs.
  
  
• All Aboard Watersports
  Rowing sessions for visually impaired young people aged between 11-18 years old
• Bridgnorth Rowing Club*Adaptive equipment to assist club members who suffer from degenerative diseases including multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy. The equipment will help members to get on the water with increased safety and confidence. 
• City of Oxford Rowing Club*
  Adaptive equipment for the adaptive squad with varying disabilities. The equipment is something that could be used by all single scullers.
• Derby Rowing Club*
  Supporting Junior Adaptive Rowing in Central Derby with the purchase of a single scull and floats
• Dover Rowing Club*Adaptive equipment to support disabled children and adults (physical, visual & learning). Dover Rowing Club do not currently have many adaptive rowers. With Love Rowing funds, they look forward to offering more adaptive rowing
• East Anglia Youth Rowing
  EAYR have an established state school programme and are now using the Love Rowing grant to fund a new indoor rowing programme covering schools that are not near a river. A pilot will launch with 3 schools offering children who are in receipt of free school meals, a chance to row. Each term an indoor erg competition will take place for the schools.
• Ely College & Isle of Ely Rowing ClubChance to Row is the extension of an established rowing programme which has in the last 3 years seen in excess of 200 students from Ely College have the opportunity to row.
• Ercall Wood Academy Rowing Club*
  The set up of a new rowing club at Ercall Wood Academy in Telford allowing children from all backgrounds to participate.
• Firhill Youth Project & Community Sports Hub
  Provide local young people, who are most typically underrepresented in sport, with free, accessible, and inclusive opportunities to become active, build positive connections, and develop key life skills through rowing. The programme will engage those young people most in need.
  
  
• Row2Grow by GNR8 Academy*
  An initiative making rowing more exciting and user-friendly so that more people can take part. Funds will cover an indoor rowing class, once a week to people from the community, free of charge.
• Guildford Rowing Club*
  Adaptive equipment to improve the rowing experience for Guildford's adaptive squad. The funds mean Guildford Rowing Club can expand and improve its offering to people with disabilities, so that they can have outings with equipment that is more suited to them. 
• Hyndburn Academy
  To introduce rowing to The Hyndburn Academy & its community; both indoors and outdoors. Hyndburn Academy is located in Blackburn and has a canal running through the school grounds. This will mean children who would never normally have the opportunity, can learn to row from Hyndburn Academy and 2 other nearby schools in the same trust.
  
  
• Lymington Rowing Club*
  Funds will go to coaching costs for young people who would not normally have the opportunity to row.
  
  
• Mersey Rowing Club
  Funds will go towards a coaching course to support the state school programme
• Ross Rowing Club
  A permanent and thriving Mixed Ability Rowing (MAR) programme at the club to mix people of differing abilities in two recreational rowing sessions and one social session per week to improve their health and foster inclusion. 
• Runcorn Rowing Club*
  Adaptive equipment to to train rowers with particular difficulty on one side.
• Stratford Upon Avon Boat Club
  A Pool Extraction Board (PXB) to facilitate the provision of Capsize Drills for the adaptive rowing community in Stratford and other clubs nearby.
• Strathclyde Rowing Club
  Extension of an established programme for young people to have the chance to row. Strathclyde will link with local youth groups, in particular in areas of higher deprivation, prevalent around Strathclyde Country Park.
• Tees Rowing Club
  An initiative for 8 young carers who will learn to row. They will be identified by Stockton Borough council and will be young people who would most benefit from being part of a new community.
• The 1863 Club*
  An inclusive rowing programme for secondary school children from diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds, children with disabilities and in particular, those with a disadvantaged upbringing. 
• Tiffin School Boat Club*
  An extension of the current school programme which provides an opportunity for children to row. The extension includes a learn to swim for rowing program which is a major barrier the school is facing, as well as coaching costs to the learn to row programme.
  
  
• Tyne Amateur Rowing Club
  A new youth/state school programme to introduce the sport of rowing to children who would not otherwise have tried it, either because of financial constraints or because they viewed it as an elitist sport.
  
  
• UCL Boat Club*
  Following UCL's 'Give it a Go' taster sessions, the funds will cover membership fees for students who cannot afford to row.
• Warrington Youth Rowing
  This fund will be split ways to Warrington Rowing Club, Liverpool Victoria Rowing Club, Northwich Rowing Club and Agecroft Rowing Club. These clubs will use the money to establish funds to help young people in their state school programme to continue to row through covering their club membership cost and race fees if applicable.

Love Rowing is on a mission to bring more people into the sport, transforming lives through the benefits rowing brings with it.

* Projects supported by British Rowing funds