Gloucester Boathouse Awarded £500,000

Gloucester Boathouse has been awarded £500,000 of National Lottery funding from Sport England, to put towards a £1.5m environmentally sustainable facility for rowing and canoeing.

The new facility is one of 23 projects across England to share in £7.3 million of Lottery investment from the latest round of funding, which focused on minimising the environmental impact of sports facilities by investing in sustainable projects with a clear local need.

The new Gloucester Boathouse will be purpose built to provide facilities for a range of water sports – with a particular emphasis on rowing and canoeing – meeting the needs of participants of all ages and backgrounds from across Gloucestershire. It will replace Gloucester RC’s existing facility, and the club hopes that an improved boathouse will lead to a boost in participation.

Gloucester RC’s funding application was supported by British Rowing, which was also involved in both the negotiation of land for the boathouse and the provision of water access.

“This is a fantastic day for the sports of rowing and canoeing in Gloucestershire, and we are very grateful to Sport England for this support” said Jon Garner, Captain of Gloucester Rowing Club.

“Many people associated with Gloucester Rowing Club and Gloucester Canoe Club have been working hard over several years to make our vision of a new centre for paddle sports a reality. There is still some work to do to raise the last £150,000 of the £1.5 million needed for the project, however, with this investment from Sport England we expect to be able to start work on the new building during this coming spring”

The new boathouse is to become a centre of excellence for rowing and canoeing, as well as being a regional hub for para-rowing and supporting the growth in recreational paddle sports across Gloucestershire. The boathouse will be built, using best practice in design and energy efficiency, adjacent to the Gloucester-Sharpness Canal in Hempstead.

“We know people have a better experience of sport when they have good facilities in which to play,” added Sport England Property Director, Charles Johnston. “This investment will ensure the people of Gloucestershire will be able to develop a sporting habit for life in a first-class, environmentally sustainable sports facility.”

For more information about Sport England’s Improvement Fund, visit www.sportengland.org/funding/our-different-funds/improvement-fund.