An event was held last night at the Compleat Angler, setting course to raise the £200,000 needed to build a safer and more inclusive area for the Marlow Rowing Club.
Paralympian Naomi Riches gave thanks to the Compleat Angler and Atul Kochhar for hosting the event, alongside Tom Kerridge and the Pub in the Park Team for organising this Saturday’s Celebrity Chef Boat Race, which will see Team Tom and Team Atul race alongside celebrated chefs Angela Hartnett, Neil Borthwick, Josh Eggleton and Phil Carmichael, all of whom will be launched in their boats at 10.30am on Saturday morning, (spectators will be able to watch this from Marlow Bridge and the Tow path opposite Marlow Rowing Club).
Marlow Adaptive/Para Rowing Coach Bruce Lynn said last night, “The Marlow RowAbility project will make Marlow Rowing Club one of the UK’s most accessible water facilities – inside and outside. When the clubhouse was rebuilt after the fire, it was designed to be one of the most accessible boat houses in the UK. The club itself has invested heavily in this accessibility and inclusion building one of the country’s most prominent adaptive/pararowing programmes.”
While the clubhouse itself was rebuilt to exacting accessibility standards, the boating area outside the clubhouse was not touched. The increased usage of the facility by rowers of all types as well as other water users, especially introducing more disabled individuals, has started expose the many weakness of the old boat storage and boating/landing stages.
The RowAbility initiative aims to make the outside of Marlow Rowing Club as leading edge in accessibility as the clubhouse itself. These enhancements will make rowing more inviting, more safe, more enjoyable, and more inclusive to the widest range of people.”