Trentham Boat Club celebrates after receiving grant from the RJS Foundation for education project.
A local boat club is celebrating after being awarded a grant by the RJS Foundation to support its Wet Start Program.
Trentham Boat Club received a grant of £500 towards their Wet Start Program. The Wet Start Program gives children from local school years 8 to 13 (aged 13-18) the opportunity to try out rowing both on water and on land at the Trentham Estate. Mental health and physical health are a concern for everyone, and this project will promote the importance of maintaining a healthy body through regular exercise and routine, as well as building community and life skills such as teamwork, determination and resilience.
The project is designed to open up the Boat Club and break down stigma that rowing is an elite sport, by welcoming everyone to Trentham! The project allows local schools to build links with the Boat Club and engage in physical activity in a fantastic outdoor environment. Representatives from the ‘Junior Section’ of the Club will be visiting local schools to encourage and highlight the major benefits of indoor and outdoor rowing and to allow increased numbers of children to have an opportunity to row. The number of young people joining the Boat Club has dropped dramatically due to Covid-19. The funding will help the Club to reverse this decline by offering state of the art equipment in a safe and enjoyable surrounding.
The grant has contributed to the purchase of four dynamic ‘RP3’ rowing machines. These machines simulate the movement of a boat in the water and will further enhance the facilities offered by the Boat Club to its users.
With equipment like the ‘RP3’, the Boat Club can help the athletes to reach their full potential and assist with their preparation during the winter months when it is much more difficult to get out on the water. Recent success at the Boat Club includes Trentham Boat Club Junior, Meg Knight, who won the World Rowing Indoor Championships Under 19s at just 16 years old in 2021, taking home a gold medal!
Sarah Whelehan, Parent Representative Director of Trentham Boat Club, said: “The RJS grant has helped to fund rowing equipment which means we can widen our scope and encourage more beginners and overall become more inclusive.
At Trentham Boat Club Juniors we aim to deliver rowing for all, through our grassroots program we encourage local young people within our community to develop life skills such as teamwork, building confidence and resilience. Our junior coaches have a strong focus on general well-being and looking after our bodies through good nutrition and exercise which has positive mental and physical benefits.”
If you or your child would like to get involved with the great sport of rowing head over to https://www.trenthamboatclub.co.uk/ to find out more.
To find out more about our latest project stories, and to see if your organisation could be eligible for an RJS Foundation grant award, please visit www.rjs-foundation.com