Active Thames grants awarded to London and South East clubs

This brings the total to £390,000 of Active Thames funding across 50 community clubs in the last three years.

Like our better-known green spaces, the 95 miles of “blue” space offered by the tidal Thames can be a place for sport and relaxation, benefitting people’s physical and mental wellbeing. Active Thames helps communities make the most of this blue space, opening the river to a more diverse range of river users. Most of the funding is directed towards projects engaging people who are less likely to be active, including people with disabilities and long-term health conditions.

The funding covers a wide range of activities including sailing, paddlesports, rowing and walking. It also spans a significant geographical reach, from West London to Southend-on-Sea, encouraging activities for all on the Thames and nearby inland waterways.

Sailing and boating related grants have been made to:

The AHOY Centre, Southeast London

The AHOY Centre plans to enhance its ability to generate income for its programmes by becoming commercially endorsed. A grant of £5,000 that will cover training and certification costs for staff members and their boats. Income generated will support several of the Deptford-based charity’s programmes, which all improve the health and life skills of disadvantaged young people and young adults.

Dartford and Cambria Sea Scout Group, Kent

Dartford and Cambria Sea Scout Group has received a grant of £8,300 towards the purchase of two new catamarans. Volunteer coaches will also soon receive RYA Multihull specialist instructor training and be able to coach over a hundred 10-18 year olds in the summer. The scout group have managed to raise match funding for this project and expect the sailing boats to last for at least ten years.

Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre, East London

Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre has received £5,000 to run an instructor development programme. Young people from lower socioeconomic groups and diverse backgrounds will be taught to become instructors, with the intention that they then become part-time coaches at the centre. This supports a drive to increase sailing coaches in East London and builds on learning from a project funded by Active Thames last year.

Sea-Change Sailing Trust, Essex and Kent

Sea-Change Sailing Trust (see header photo) will use its grant of £8,370 for three purposes; a sailing residential for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, training for their current volunteers, and subsidised sail-training weekends for adults interested in learning how to sail traditional barges. Traditional Thames barges, such as the Blue Mermaid, require additional skills and there is a shortage of people able to sail them. This project aims to benefit the Thames sailing barge community as a whole, keeping a key piece of Thames heritage alive.

Shadwell Basin Outdoor Activity Centre, East London

Shadwell Basin Outdoor Activity Centre will run a ten-month instructor training programme for six young Londoners aged 16-18, chosen from its existing youth leadership programmes. £4,988 will allow them to run weekly sessions of practical and theoretical workshops including personal skills, group management, leadership, safety and mentoring. This programme intends to address the current lack of instructors in outdoor and adventure sport.

Welsh Harp Sailing Club, North West London

A boost of £5,000 means that Welsh Harp Sailing Club will be able to expand its work with local communities in Brent including Chalkhill Community Centre, the Well Well Project and an English language project called Utopia. The funding will provide sailing taster days, courses and discounted memberships.

Westminster Boating Base, West London

Westminster Boating Base has been delivering watersports on the Thames for 48 years. A grant of £5,000 will allow the base to run powerboating, canoeing, kayaking and sailing sessions for young people with special education needs and disabilities on the Thames, and will directly involve their carers and teachers too.

Find out more....

.......about Active Thames and the other grants awarded.