We are delighted that Lea Rowing Club was announced Rowing Club of the Year at the British Rowing Awards on Thursday 26 January. The stand-out reason highlighted by the judges was our commitment to prioritise inclusion and broadening access to rowing, alongside performance rowing at the highest level.
The schools programme, ‘I AM A ROWER’ campaign, ‘I Belong’ project, our work with the Hackney Migrant Centre and local Jewish Women’s group, as well as success on the international stage and at Henley Royal Regatta were all cited by Alastair Marks, British Rowing’s CEO as reasons for our win.
Matt Pooley, Lea R.C. Captain said: “We are absolutely chuffed with this news. The Club’s philosophy is that with a bit of creative thinking, there are no such things as barriers. We are extremely proud of our achievements and grateful to all those that have and continue to support us.
“This is a testament to the achievements of many, many people over the years, including our rowers, volunteers, coaches and funders – including Youth Experience in Sport, British Rowing, Love Rowing and Hackney Council – as well as members of our Friends of the Lea scheme, other supporters, and parents. We also thank those who partnered with us on our journey to prioritise inclusion and broaden access.
“We really want to build on this fantastic achievement but we cannot do that without funds. We really encourage people to support us financially. One way to do this is to sign up to our FRIENDS OF THE LEA programme.”
Please support our"truly outstanding club" by joining FRIENDS OF THE LEA. You will receive the inside scoop on the cut and thrust of the performance programmes, more on how our volunteer-run club can compete alongside professionally funded organisations, hear first hand stories about how grassroots rowing can prop open doors and be invited to exclusive Friends of the Lea and club events.
In addition to Club of the Year, our ‘I Belong’ project was nominated in its own right as ‘Project of the Year’; and Senior squad coach and Lea legend, Gill Parker (“Webby”) won the British Rowing Eastern Region’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Notes to Editors
Last summer we had the pleasure of featuring in British Rowing’s #DownMyClub series, where you can find out a little bit more about our community and how we have built a culture where we can be so many different things for so many people.