Category Archives: News

Stratford Out In Force at Bedford and Henley

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At Bedford Spring Head on Sunday, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s youngest squads were out in force and able to display their skills on a stretch of river that was perfect for all to witness how far they have progressed. The J13’s, racing up a category as J14’s, put out two quads in consecutive divisions who both recorded solid times and impressed with intelligent race plans that saw them cross the line just seconds apart. The combination of Burt, Franklin, Heenan and Siwakowski ultimately claiming bragging rights on this occasion over Durance, Cruise, Jackson and Ford. The coxswains of those boats, Lilly Parsons and Islay Milles respectively, then raced-up again in the J14 double sculls and showcased some real promise with a composed performance and a highly creditable time.

The J14 squad were similarly well represented. Hothi and Mansfield competed early in the double sculls but were beaten into second by a strong Walbrook Rowing Club pairing. A mixed quad of Stanford, Lebordais, Birrell and Dunn, coxed by Mansfield, enjoyed the strong challenge from local clubs and also managed to record the second fastest time in that event. Tiring of second place finishes, Birrell and Lebordais took to the water again in a double scull and blew the competition away, recording the event’s fastest time and taking the gold whilst being chased all the way to the line by their squad mates Hammick and Shickle whose performance was no less commanding.

Both Stratford Boat Club J15 coxed fours were racing: first up were Seb Happel, Will Shaw, Euan Richter and Ed Appleton, coxed by Rory Jones, rowing neatly in the OJ16 4+ against three home crews from Bedford School in seven minutes and thirty seconds, beating all crews coming in as one out three. Next up were Orla Linforth, Maria Ntoukaki, Naomi Sime and Erin Appleton, coxed by Ed Appleton, rowing nicely in the W4+ and setting a great time of eight minutes and seventeen seconds, matching the Stratford WJ18 crew!

Finally, in the OJ15 2x event, Euan Richter and Rory Rowan sculled well over the 2k distance, in eight minutes and seven seconds which wasn’t enough for a medal. Commenting, Hugo Happel, J15 Coach said. “Credit to all three J15 crews, they all did a great job!”

A glorious spring day saw a total of thirty five crews from Stratford upon Avon Boat Club travel to Bedford for the Spring Head. Held over 2000m on the Great Ouse, the course runs through Bedford’s town centre making a theatre of rowing for the day. Stratford’s J16 squad competed in four events throughout the day. First to go was the women’s coxless quadruple scull of Martha Cooke, Tessa Parkin, Martha Baines and Bryony Francis who competed in the J17 event for the day and delivered a superb row scoring a second place against Walbrook Rowing Club. Next off was the women’s coxed four crew of Isla Dunn, Becca Smith, Tessa Parkin, Maeve Dunn and Bryony Francis (coxswain) who again rowed up a category to race against senior women and again demonstrated their quality to come home second against the Loughborough Rowing Club women. The racing continued thick and fast with the WJ16 double sculls of Martha Cooke and Isla Dunn sprinting home to fifth whilst Martha Baines and Bryony Francis took the win in style. Hungry for more, the J16’s then took to the water in the single sculls event.  Racing for a third time in the day Tessa Parkin came home a creditable sixth in a seventeen strong field, Becca Smith in fourth and Maeve Dunn took the win with a confident row in the late afternoon sunshine.

Racing first down the course for the Stratford crews were the boys J18 quads. Xavier Sissins-Rofey, Theo Richter, Jamie Wilcox and Seth Vondrak set off at a blistering pace, executing a solid race plan to put them in second place, although the fifth fastest overall crew of the day. Later in the day they returned to the water in Open Coxless Fours’ event, where they put down another strong performance against their older competitors to finish fourth.

In their first race of the day, Poppy Baines and Lucy Sartain paired up to race the WJ18 doubles in dominant style. They powered down the course taking an expert line through the bridges to claim a distinct win over the rest of the field. Also racing in the WJ18 doubles were Lily Warren and Aimee Appleton. They executed a strong race plan and raced tidily to come out third in their field. In the WJ18 1x event, both crews from Stratford put in good races to come second and third, chasing each other down the course. Later the WJ18 quad rowed an excellent race, brilliantly steered by Lucy Sartain, to win their event by over ten seconds. In Division Six, the crew of Alexandra Francis, Aimee Appleton, Scarlett Richardson and Poppy Baines took to the course in the Women’s Coxless Fours’ event: competing against older and more experienced crews, the four completed a powerful race to claim a win of over twenty seconds to claim silver.

The Bedford Course is a testing row over 2km, with the river becoming narrow in places and requiring crews to navigate numerous bridges. Commenting, Amanda Bowden, Masters’ Vice Captain said, “This was the first race for several of Stratford’s Masters’ crews and the first time steering a race for a couple of the bow steers persons. A huge co granulations for all who raced today! It was wonderful to see so many masters rowers competing in the sunshine today!”

The MxD4x of Suzie Radley, Dan Simkins, Patrick Taylor and Amanda Bowden won the category with an adjusted time of six minutes and forty eight seconds. The crew raced hard and were consistent throughout the race, despite steering challenges and very choppy water conditions in places. The MD2- of Dan Simkins and Patrick Taylor stuck to their race plan and were delighted to complete the 2k race in an adjusted time of seven minutes and twenty four seconds, under rating the winners, coming in second place. There is definitely more to come from this crew!

The single scullers of Tom Doherty in the Masters’ E category and Nick Sartain in the Masters’ D category both rowed strong rhythms and completed the course in times of eight minutes and twenty one seconds and seven minutes and forty dix seconds respectively. Tom was nip and tuck with the Leicester sculler for the whole course, with choppy waters in the mid section adding to an eventful race. The Stratford sculler just prevailed by five seconds to finish in second place in a field of five competitors with local sculler Bedford using his local knowledge to run out the winner by nine seconds. The Mx2x of Tom Doherty and Rebecca England came fourth in their category.

The WMD2x of Suzie Radley and Amanda Bowden had a great start then as they overtook another double, this competitors lost control and steered into the Stratford double. This resulted in a stop, resulting in a considerable time loss of thirty seconds. The result was second place for the Stratford double. The OpME4- of David Noyes, Rich Shepherd, Nev Hands and John Charlesworth raced hard gaining valuable experience on a challenging course. Unfortunately the WME4x including Christine Goodwin, Gina Fusco was hampered by injury and sickness, thankfully they had two subs of Rebecca England and Imogen North and were able to enjoy a row over the course for time only in seven minutes and fifty seconds. Thanks again go to Hugo Happel and Steve Wellstead for towing the trailers and to all the support from the bank.

Meanwhile, Stratford’s adaptive squad attended the annual Adaptive Phyllis Court Time Trial on the Henley Regatta course. The squad was largely made up of established competitors, the event coming a little too soon for a number of recent recruits. The best Club time of the day was achieved by the mother and son combination of Ian and Paola Ward. Best newcomer went to Ricky Clutterbuck. Gillian Middleton, competing for the first time in a single scull, won the Club Most Improved category. Commenting, Mark Dewdney, Stratford’s Head Adaptive Coach said, “Phyllis Court is a useful precursor to the main regatta season. It was attended by the Henley MP, Mayor and Stratford Boat Club’s President, Paul Stanton. The next outing for the adaptive squad is Marlow Spring Regatta in early May.”

For great pictures from Bedford Spring Head, see Stuart Baines’ selection https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AAnHz3nIhATIuP8&id=3DD8F6A70C0CB625%21269548&cid=3DD8F6A70C0CB625

Stratford & K.E.S. Score on the Thames & River Soar

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On Tuesday 25th March 2025, nine Stratford junior women from Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s J17/18 squad took to the Thames in the annual Schools’ Head of the River Race. With over three hundred boats on the water at once, racing the Boat Race course in reverse, this head attracts the top crews in the country who are ready to fight for the top spots. Stratford’s girls VIII was composed of Poppy Baines, Lucy Sartain, Molly Vondrak, Scarlett Richardson, Lily Warren, Aimee Appleton, Alexandra Francis, Eloise Cooper and Poppy Warren (cox): the crew was a mixture of sixth form aged athletes who had only been training together in the boat for a month in the lead up to the event.

Setting off first in the Girls’ Championship Eight event, the girls started off strong, settling into a solid rhythm under Chiswick Bridge. Unfortunately, only just over 1k in, another crew mis-judged their line and caused a clash with our crew. Stratford were forced to come to a stop before valiantly re-starting and taking back control of their own race. Undeterred, Stratford continued to lay down their power for the remaining 6k with Poppy Warren steering an excellent course. Commenting, Imogen North, J17/18 Coach said, “The crew delivered a strong performance against the top crews in the country, representing the Club in the girls’ eights category for the first time in over a decade.”

Also at Schools’ Head of the River Race was Stratford’s sister Club, King Edward V1 School Boat Club. Entering in their staple mixed eight event, the squad were looking to reclaim a position on the podium which they just missed out on the year before. As expected, due to the short rowing length of the Avon, the crew began with slightly too much care towards pacing themselves, losing time on the other boats on the 6.8km course. After the first quarter, speed and confidence began to climb as the K.E.S. mixed eight managed a successful overtake on one of the competition as well as several boats from earlier divisions. Cox Hannah Wright notably completed a clean pass through the middle of two competing boats, especially impressive as this had been her first major race as a cox.

Shoulders heavy, legs numb and with resounding motivation from the cox, the final quarter of the race was when K.E.S. showed their best efforts, keeping a neck and neck pace with the favourites to win, explosively blasting through the finish line.

Ultimately, the crew’s efforts were enough to land themselves on the podium once again with a prestigious bronze, just 20 seconds off gold and over a minute faster than the crew behind them. Having raced to their fullest, the 2025 mixed eight returned proudly to their boating area, setting their sights towards medal collection in the upcoming season.

Meanwhile on Sunday, following on from Stratford Boat Club’s successful trips to London for the national head racing season, Stratford rowers Rebecca England and Tom Doherty headed to the more sedate climes of Loughborough for the annual river Soar Head race. The event 3.1km long is probably the most challenging head race of the season for steering, taking place on a fairly narrow extremely windy course guaranteed to test every crew.

First off in division two was Tom Doherty in a masters single category taking on amongst others former Stratford team mate Gary Clay now of Loughborough in what were extremely gusty conditions. Rowing upriver in a strong tail wind resulted in choppy but fast racing with difficult steering resulting in a number of crews hitting the bank and struggling to overtake resulting in a number of clashes.

Starting towards the rear of the division meant less interference and allowed some good sculling which saw Tom and Gary battling it out down the course neck and neck for the whole way. In the end, Gary pipped Tom into second place winning by six seconds in a time of thirteen minutes and twenty six seconds.

Division Three provided better conditions with the wind dropping as Tom and Rebecca raced their mixed double. With steering again proving a problem for crews and crashes and clashes continuing, the crew held a lively pace whilst trying to negotiate very tight bends and, in one instance, a capsized crew.

Unfortunately one bend got the better of the crew resulting in a time loss of about ten seconds. Getting underway again saw a good fight with following crews and good speed resulting in the Stratford crew catching a coxed quad junior crew which on the narrow course held them up until they could safely squeeze past.

In the end the much faster tail wind in the earlier divisions proved decisive with their opposition racing in division one gaining a good forty seconds advantage due to the strong tailwind.

Said Tom Doherty, “Loughborough lived up to its reputation and the ultimate steering challenge meant that this very well organised and run event also provided entertaining racing!”

For media coverage see Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/juniors-impress-as-they-take-on-boat-race-course-9411279 and page forty four and Stratford Observer https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-clubs-junior-crews-take-part-in-prestigious-events and back sports page https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/04/04&pages=24

For more great pictures of the Schools’ Head, see Stuart Baines’ excellent selection https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21ANzH42mIDOdmjjU&id=3DD8F6A70C0CB625%21269353&cid=3DD8F6A70C0CB625

Stratford’s Masters’ Women Take On The Thames!

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On Sunday, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s the novice E masters women’s VIII took on the mighty Thames Tideway for the Vesta International Masters Head of The River Race 2025 in clear calm dry conditions, despite an adverse forecast.

Expertly coxed by Alistair Washborn, the crew benefitted from a focused warm up over 7k and a clear race plan. Ellie Davis (stroke) set the pace, followed by Lin Hansen, Jane Cryer, Katie Burman, Geraldine Chorley, Abby Symons, Vicky Millward (Worcester Rowing Club) and Gina Fusco (bow).

Setting off at a brisk thirty one strokes per minute then settling to a solid thirty strokes per minute, the Stratford boat quickly overtook local rivals Evesham which greatly boosted the morale of the Stratford crew. The crew went on to overtake a second boat (Marlow) and, having worked hard, the crew started to flag but great calls from Alistair at Hammersmith Bridge galvanised the ladies into action. A third boat was confidently overtaken and finished the course in 23:59mins to win their division.

Crew Captain Ellie Davis said of the win: “It was a fantastic win for a crew that came together exceptionally well & we all had a fantastic day.”

The women’s masters C8+ was coxed by Jen Carey, stroked by Rebecca England, with Fiona Shultz, Lucy Scarlett, Ruth Poulten, Caroline Collins, Corinna Burger, Clare Booth and Rona Fitzpatrick in the bow.

The Stratford’s Women’s Masters’ C VIII had the misfortune to have a blade come out of its gate. This lost several seconds for the hampered crew. Nevertheless, they regained the blade and had a very positive row. The crew completed the course in 23:40:89mins.

The women’s crews were named ‘Imogen’ and ‘Erin’, after Imogen Grant MBE and Erin Kennedy OBE. On hearing of the crew’s win, Erin Kennedy sent a personal message to the crew – ‘Wow! That is amazing!!! Send a huge congrats from me!’

Amanda Bowden, Masters’ Vice Captain, said “The women’s squad has been growing and training harder over the season, so to finish the head race season with a victory in London is incredible! We are now looking forward to the regatta season.”

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page forty seven and online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/novice-crew-enjoy-their-thames-contest-9410199 and also Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-clubs-masters-women-take-on-the-thames and also on back sports page https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/03/28&pages=32

Stratford’s Masters’ Men’s Eight Improve at Gloucester!

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The newly formed Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s masters men’s VIII of Gary Kinley, Tom Stokes, Mark Kelly, David Vazquez, Dawson Curnock, Paul Collins, David Triggs and Gavin Bliss competed at the Gloucester Spring Head on Sunday. This is a huge undertaking at this stage of their development as the distance to the start is 7km, the return row includes the 5km race and a further 2km back to the boat house.

The stroke set a good rhythm at a rate of twenty seven strokes per minute with the boat running nicely. A hold up at the bridge from a single scull forced the VIII to stop and the race time does not reflect the overall progress that the VIII made down the course. Commenting, Amanda Bowden, Masters’ Vice Captain said, “The men did incredibly well and gained valuable experience.”

David Vazquez in the number five seat said, “It was a great team effort and the whole crew felt rightly proud to have been part of Sunday’s race.” The crew would like to thank Pippa Francis from Evesham who stepped in to cox the crew at the last minute and Dawson Curnock for towing the boats.

For media coverage, please see Stratford Herald page forty three and online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/stratford-eight-go-the-distance-early-9409279 and also Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-clubs-masters-viii-show-improvement-at-gloucester-spring-head

Stratford Celebrates International Women’s Day on the Tideway!

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On Saturday 8th March, International Women’s Day, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s masters’ women joined two and a half thousand women racing in the Women’s Eights Head of the River Race in London, for the first time.

They enjoyed a beautiful sunny day on the Thames with fantastically flat water. Starting at the back of the first division, the Stratford Women’s Masters’ D crew, coxed by Jennifer Cary, was comprised of Rebecca England at stroke, followed by Heather Hayton, Ellie Davis, Lin Hanson, Caroline Collins, Corinna Burger, Debbie Thompson and Gina Fusco.

The Stratford crew started well with powerful, efficient strokes and quickly moved up on and overtook their first opposition from Kingston Rowing Club. Settling into a rhythmic thirty one strokes per minute, they then proceeded slowly to make headway on the boat ahead. The seven kilometre race was a battle to gain on the crew ahead and hold off a fast Broxbourne Rowing Club VIII behind.

As the Putney finish approached, Stratford’s cox was put to the test, steering expertly to hold the fastest stream while being sandwiched by boats on either side. The fast Broxbourne crew pushing past on one side, as Stratford, in turn, fought to go past Marlow Rowing Club. Stratford took the rate up to complete their overtake just before the finish line. Completing the course in a time of twenty three minutes and sixteen seconds, placed seventh out of thirteen crews in their division beating several clubs such as Marlow, Kingston, Bewdley, Thames Tradesmen and overseas crews.

Gina Fusco, bow, summed up her race, “It was a truly amazing experience: thank you to everybody for the support on and off the water in making this happen today. It was simply brilliant!”

Masters’ Vice Captain, Amanda Bowden added, “I am delighted to see the women’s development and training programme over the last three years has led to such a competitive performance today on the Tideway. This is the largest women’s rowing race in the world and the crew performed brilliantly! To be placed midway through the Masters D category is amazing! Thank you to our coach, Sam Hill who has been instrumental in preparing the women’s squad for their races this season. The crew had a fantastic day, gaining valuable experience and now look forward to rowing the same Championship course in two weeks’ time in the Vesta International Masters Head of the River Race”

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald page forty two and Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-clubs-masters-crew-compete-in-prestigious-womens-eights-head-of-the-river-race and also back sports page https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/03/14&pages=24

Stratford Cruise Home at West Midlands Junior Championships

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Stratford upon Avon Boat Club J13 squad were enjoying their first away fixture on Sunday at the annual West Midlands Junior Championships in Hereford, demonstrating just how much they have learned in a few weather-afflicted months. The reputation of the boys’ quad had clearly preceded them, their opposition elected to withdraw before the race leaving them free to proceed down the course in an impressive time. The girls’ quad was equally composed, just missing out on gold to a home crew who they chased all the way to the line.

After so many cancelled events the J14 squad were also out in force to demonstrate that the many hours of training had prepared them well. The J14 boys’ quad were in imperious form, sweeping aside the competition to win comfortably and earn the chance to represent the region on the National stage. Not to be outdone, the girls’ quad was equally impressive amongst strong competition, missing out on gold by just 0.7 seconds over the 1.8km course. In the WJ14 single sculls, Abi Dunn raced straight and strong to claim a deserved gold, followed by Meredith Paul (bronze) and Scarlet Wheeler just seconds later.

Competing for the first time as J15s, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club juniors had a very successful event on a beautifully sunny day. In Division 1, Maria Ntoukaki claimed a bronze medal in the WJ15 1x event, beating some strong opposition from Ross and Hereford Cathedral Rowing Clubs. In Division 2, the might of Royal Shrewsbury School Boat Club proved too much for Stratford’s OJ15 4+ boys consisting of Seb Happel, Will Shaw, Ed Appleton, Rory Rowan and Rory Jones (Cox), nevertheless a tidy and composed row in their first ever sweep event. In Division 3 in the WJ15 4+ event, Maria Ntoukaki, Orla Linforth, Erin Appleton, coxed by Ed Appleton and joined by Evesham rower Daisy Wilkes, beat strong opposition from Royal Shrewsbury over the 1800m course to claim gold and will be representing the West Midlands at JIRR in April, as a composite Stratford/Evesham crew. Also in Division 3, Stratford’s OJ15 2x of Seb Happel and Will Shaw saw off a raft of strong scullers and will be representing our region at the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta. Commenting, Hugo Happel, J15 Coach said, “Overall, a superb day with our juniors rowing with fine technique and panache.”

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club fielded a record twenty seven crews across the age groups with athletes from J14, J15 and J16 squads competing to represent the West Midlands at the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta in April. Stratford’s J16s competed in three events over the 1.8km course on the River Wye. First to race was Martha Baines in the WJ16 single scull: sculling well in the Herefordshire morning sunshine, she recorded a solid sixth place. Next to race was the women’s coxless quad in which Bryony Francis, Tessa Parkin, Maeve Dunn and Isla Dunn scored a creditable Silver Medal narrowly missing out to Hereford Cathedral School for the West Midlands jersey. Double sculls of Poppy Warren and Sophie Franklin plus Tessa Parkin and Josephine Cooper recorded sixth and seventh respectively in their event. Lack of opposition gave the WJ16 coxless four a place in the West Midlands team however the crew of Millie Smith, Becca Smith, Martha Baines and Martha Cooke used the event for race practice ahead of JIRR later in April.

The J17/18 squad turned up in numbers itching to put a long winter of training and no racing behind them and turn the hard work into winning races. They didn’t disappoint!

First up in Division 1 were the men’s and women’s coxless quads. The men’s boat of Vondrak, Wilcock, Rowlands and Albrighton, competing for the first time in this highly competitive boat class, sculled well and narrowly missed out on a bronze medal by just three tenths of a second, showing lots of promise for the season ahead. In the women’s event both Stratford and Royal Grammar School Worcester were fielding two boats each but it was a clean sweep for the Stratford girls of Baines, Francis, Warren and Sartain securing gold and Appleton, Cooper, Davis and Jones the silver medal.

Division 2 first saw the men’s pair of Sissins-Roffey and Vondrak up against Kings Worcester in a one on one match but the Stratford boys were too strong for them and took the gold easily. Next, the double scull combination of Albrighton and Rowlands fought hard in a tight bunch of four crews competing for the bronze but in the end narrowly missed out on a medal by just two seconds. The women’s double scull pairing of Vondrak and Richardson were up in a field of eight boats including the GB U19 represented Royal Grammar School Worcester crew. The Stratford girls showed how competitive they are by securing the silver just eight seconds behind RGS and were a clear twenty seconds ahead of the third placed boat.

In Division 3 Stratford fielded three single scullers across the men’s and women’s event. Wilcock and Sissins-Roffey competed in a popular event with eleven boats and secured ninth and fourth respectively.  In the women’s race Francis also secured a 4th place in a field containing the Royal Grammar School Worcester girls from the doubles event. The final race of the day for the J17/18 squad brought the women together to compete in the eights race against Kings School Worcester. The scratch crew showed great form to row a tidy and strong race and took the gold medal by five seconds, rounding off a successful day in the sun for the squad.

For media coverage, please see Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-scullers-excel-at-west-midlands-junior-championships and back sports page https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/03/07&pages=24

For pictures of the West Midland Junior Championships, please see Stuart Baines’ great selection https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AHkTu3llJrwcWSA&id=3DD8F6A70C0CB625%21268907&cid=3DD8F6A70C0CB625

Stratford Storm the North!

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Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s mixed master’s double escaped the wild weather this weekend to head north and race at Trafford’s Head of the Bridgewater. Racing together for the first time, Rebecca England and Tom Doherty enjoyed a calm paddle to the start in beautiful conditions.

On a narrow canal where overtaking is difficult, the Stratford crew knew they had to get a fast start as the only mixed boat in a men’s event. Their lively stroke rate enabled them to make water on the senior women’s crews in front and execute an overtake at the half way point. With the final kilometre of the course being a straight run to the finish, Stratford were able to increase their power and sprint home, taking the win by twenty seconds.

For media coverage, see Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-club-pair-triumph-at-head-of-the-bridgewater-race and back sports page https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/02/28&pages=24 and Stratford Herald page thirty nine

Stratford Boat Club Celebrates Win for the Environment at British Rowing Awards

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Stratford upon Avon Boat Club has been awarded the inaugural Environmental Sustainability Award at the prestigious British Rowing Awards 2024 held at the River & Rowing Museum at Henley on Thames. The recognition highlights the Club’s dedication to making environmental strides despite limited resources.

Stratford Boat Club, with its thriving junior, adaptive, and growing masters’ sections, has emerged as a winner in sustainability in taking proactive steps to reduce its environmental footprint. Like many volunteer-led grassroots sports clubs, Stratford Boat Club faces the daily challenge of managing operations, funding necessary repairs and equipment which can make it difficult to prioritise environmental action. Nonetheless, the Club’s management committee agreed to establish a Sustainability Working Group in February 2024. With no budget, the initiative grew organically, developed by a cross-section of committee and ordinary members who shared a passion for their Club and the environment.

A survey of the Club’s members indicated strong concern about climate change and its impact on the River Avon, the wider environment and their sport. Informal conversations around environmental action led to a discussion on cleaning products. A quick win was identified on washing up liquid which is harmful to aquatic life. All sections were consulted and the decision taken to use only water to clean boats and an eco-friendly product in the kitchen.

To give a voice to the Club’s junior section, a workshop was organised in the Easter holidays to enable the juniors to brainstorm ideas for more sustainable Club practices and make space for nature. A British Rowing representative spoke about using communications to create dialogue with members and the wider community on the environment and to build momentum for change. Severn Trent River Rangers conducted ammonia testing and shared insights into their work to improve river health.

Suggestions to reduce the Club’s regatta’s carbon footprint included encouraging lift shares, not purchasing single use plastic, sourcing local and homemade food, choosing to support local businesses, separating food waste collection, improving signage around waste and recycling, choosing recycled glass for prizes and selling reusable cups.

One participant reflected, “The workshop helped to explain how things can’t just happen straight away. Even though we may be a small club, just doing our bit for the river or local environment, even though it may seem as if it has little impact, it does add up to something bigger when a lot of places do similar things.” A ‘bee café’ at the Club entrance now greets visitors to highlight the importance of pollinators. Guidance was sought from local “gardening for wildlife” designer Lucy Hartley and plants were donated from members gardens.

The Club’s collaborative approach allows members to contribute to the development of comprehensive environmental and communications action plan. Projects that align with Club priorities – and have environmental co-benefits – opens up new avenues for funding and partnerships. “Winning the British Rowing Environmental Sustainability Award is a testament to the passion of our members and the positive impact that can result from small, intentional actions,” said Dawson Curnock, Chairman of Stratford upon Avon Boat Club. “Taking the lead in sustainability not only aligns with our Club’s values but also strengthens our reputation as an inclusive and progressive organisation. By allowing members to lead on these initiatives, we’ve created meaningful change without incurring additional financial costs.”

A second hand kit sale and “Club clean-up” timed with the Great British Spring Clean will kick off 2025. Claudine Pearson, Sustainability Lead for Stratford Boat Club says, “We are looking forward to using our prize from Delphis at the Club Clean-Up Day. Delphis’ cleaning products are professional award-winning, ecological cleaning products, made from renewable, plant-based ingredients that aim to significantly reduce both plastic waste, water pollution and carbon emissions. We can all reduce the number of harmful chemicals being poured down the drain and into the natural environment. This award highlights how a small club like Stratford can punch above its weight by adopting sustainable practices and serves as a model for other grassroots sports clubs looking to make a positive impact on the environment.”

Sport England’s club support website, Buddle, has interviewed Stratford for a case study on its environmental strategy and action plan.

For media coverage, see Stratford Observer https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/news/stratford-boat-club-scoops-sustainability-award and British Rowing https://www.britishrowing.org/2025/02/british-rowing-award-winners-recognised-at-celebration-lunch

For pictures of the award ceremony, see https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1f3YGelfzZ9wBhEzqku7ju-eiXp8c0cuP

Stratford & K.E.S. Score at Worcester

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Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s J16 squad were in action last weekend for the second weekend in succession. This time the might River Severn in Worcester provided the course with 4.5km between start and finish. Worcester Head attracts top crews from the area as the traditional warm up to March’s Tideway events. This year did not disappoint with Stratford’s crews up against the region’s finest.

First to go was the women’s coxed four of Martha Cooke, Becca Smith, Maeve Dunn, Poppy Warren and Josephine Cooper (coxswain). The girls were “rowing up” to compete in the senior event and delivered a superb performance to record second place in the Band 2 event just six seconds behind Cardiff University. In Division 2, the WJ16 coxless quadruple scull of Millie Smith, Martha Baines, Isla Dunn and Tessa Parkin sculled well with Parkin positioning the boat to make maximum benefit of the stream conditions. The crew recorded a third place behind City of Bristol and Hereford Cathedral School whilst leaving Kings School Worcester and Cheltenham College behind in the process.

Also at Worcester Head were Stratford’s sister club, King Edward V1 Boat Club. The K.E.S. Rowing 4+ squad comprised of S.McMahon, A.Stevenson, A.Xifaras, S.Richardson were racing on the water for the first time with the club. With the aid of cox P.Baines, the crew rowed along the 4.5km course to set a stunning start to their rowing careers. In an open event contested by nothing but university squads, from as far as Sheffield to as close as Birmingham, there would have been no disgrace in a crew at least three years younger falling behind. In the end however, the squad blasted through to beat Sheffield University, leaving K.E.S. in a one second neck and neck race with Birmingham University. With a total time of 16:37 minutes and a fifth place position, the five K.E.S. squad members returned home having positioned themselves proudly.

Also on Saturday, Stratford Boat Club’s adaptive squad were on the water at home with Gillian Middleton undergoing an external assessment for her L2 Coaches’ Certificate by British Rowing assessors. Commenting, Mark Dewdney, Stratford’s Head Adaptive Coach said, “We are all very proud of Gillian being awarded her L2 BR Coaching qualification: whilst the squad has had other adaptive athletes gain their L2 award, Gillian is the squad’s first ‘home grown’ disabled athlete to gain the qualification. Gillian’s true grit and determination got her to where she is today and she is an example to us all!”

Meanwhile on a British Rowing’s Paralympic training camp in France, Stratford’s adaptive squad athlete Curtis Dickens who is on British Rowing’s Paralympic Pathway scheme, continues to have his technique and fitness honed by his pararowing coaches: Curtis hopes to be selected for GB’s Paralympic rowing squad for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics.

On Sunday, in a slightly less exotic location, Stratford’s Masters squad travelled to Gloucester to get some long distance training in for the remainder of this head season and to be ‘race fit’ for the coming regatta season.

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/crews-compete-against-the-region-s-best-9404088 and Stratford Observer back sports page https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/02/14&pages=24

For more great pictures of Worcester Head, see Stuart Baines’ selection https://1drv.ms/f/s!AiW2DAyn9tg9kKZRoxSMvjkQfvx31w?e=576bQP

Racing at Last for Stratford’s J16 Squad!

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After an extended break due to high and fast river conditions and cancelled head of the river races, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s J16 squad were back in action racing at Wycliffe Big Head. Held over 4500m on the Gloucester – Sharpness Canal, the event provides an excellent standard of competition in the junior head racing season.

In a departure from normal events, Stratford fielded an VIII comprising Bryony Francis, Sophie Franklin, Josephine Cooper, Becca Smith, Tessa Parkin, Martha Baines, Martha Cooke, Millie Smith and Poppy Warren (coxswain). Commenting, Steve Wellstead, J16 Coach and Junior Coordinator said, “The crew delivered a strong performance throughout to finish a creditable second place just ten seconds behind Kings School Chester.”

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/crew-secures-second-place-on-their-return-9403133 and page thirty seven and also Stratford Observer online https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/rowing-stratford-boat-clubs-junior-squad-return-to-the-water-at-wycliffe-big-head and also back sports page https://www.stratfordobserver.co.uk/editions/view/?/Stratford/2025/02/07&pages=24

For great pictures of Wycliffe Big Head, see Stuart Baines’ excellent selection https://1drv.ms/f/s!AiW2DAyn9tg9kKVWi-QhE2c6RjH_Ng?e=d8AYdD