New boat helps beginners explore rowing (From The Northern Echo)

New boat helps beginners explore rowing

5:35pm Thursday 12th August 2010 in

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A NORTH-East rowing club has been awarded £12,500 to buy a new boat.

Durham Amateur Rowing Club (ARC) secured the cash through the Explore Rowing initiative, aimed at making rowing more fun and varied for adults.

The money was used to buy a £25,000 stable boat - a rowing boat with a wider and flatter hull.

Funding has been made available for 50 such boats to be bought for clubs across the country.

Durham is one of just six clubs to have received the cash since the scheme was launched in May by Olympian Sir Steve Redgrave.

The club’s first ten-week Explore Rowing course has just ended. Those involved used their final session to raise £380 for the Rose Education Foundation charity, through collecting sponsorship and donations and holding a barbecue.

They competed in a race day, with the winning crew being Boya Wong and Kate McCormack, with Janet Turnbull as the cox.

All course graduates have joined since the club, either as recreational rowers or part of a development squad.