Active Thames: applications open with over £100,000 funding available for sports clubs and community groups

September 25, 2025

Sports clubs and community groups across London, Kent and Essex are being invited to apply for the latest round of Active Thames grants, which opens today, 15 September

Photo © London Youth Rowing/Jil Orpen

Active Thames is a partnership programme designed to support the development of water sports on the tidal Thames and inland waterways in London, Kent, and Essex. With over 15,000 football pitches worth of blue space, the tidal Thames is a fantastic place to get active. There is also an extensive network of inland waterways, which provide even more space for people to enjoy, and perfect locations to gain the skills and confidence needed to take on the tidal river.

Active Thames is delivered by the following organisations: Active Essex, Active Kent and Medway, London Sport, Paddle UK, British Rowing, Paddle UK, Royal Yachting Association (RYA), Canal & River Trust, Thames Path National Trail, and the PLA.

The fund helps more people get active on and alongside the tidal Thames and connected waterways. It supports access to over 15,000 football pitches’ worth of “blue space”, with activities including rowing, sailing, paddlesports, open water swimming, and walking. It is designed to break down barriers to participation and ensure the Thames is a space for everyone, regardless of background, ability or experience.

Active Thames is a partnership programme between Active Essex, Active Kent & Medway, London Sport, the Royal Yachting Association, British Rowing, Paddle UK, Canal & River Trust and the Thames Path National Trail.

The Active Thames Fund is dedicated to fostering growth in water sports and enhancing the use of the Thames Path National Trail. It is focused on improving access, diversity, and inclusion, while raising awareness of the benefits of physical activity in blue space.

Now in its fifth year, the fund has awarded over £550,000 to 63 different clubs, each encouraging sport and physical activity on the region’s blue space. To date, over 8,280 individuals have benefitted from Active Thames funding. In 2024 alone, and with a boost from Tideway, the funding supported 3,826 individuals to participate in 1,248 activity sessions, with an additional 380 people developing key coaching skills and qualifications.

The Active Thames Impact Report shows that since its launch in 2021, the programme has:

Supported 63 projects across London, Kent and Essex
Helped a total of over 8,200 people, including women, ethnically diverse communities, and people with disabilities.

Of these people:

830 were coaches and volunteers who benefitted from subsidised training and development opportunities.
51% were female
44% were from a minority ethnic background
26% had a disability or long-term health condition.

“Through Active Thames, we are creating opportunities for more people to enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of being active on and by the water,” said PLA’s CEO Robin Mortimer.

“Active Thames is not just about funding individual projects, it’s about supporting grassroots organisations and ensuring blue space is safe, accessible, and inclusive. In recent years, we’ve seen the difference this can make, from enabling underrepresented groups to take part in water sports for the first time, to helping local clubs grow and thrive.

“Delivering our long-term strategy, Thames Vision, means putting inclusion and wellbeing at the centre of how we shape the future of the river, and Active Thames plays a key role in achieving that.”

Most of the Active Thames grants awarded to date have been around £5000. Organisations seeking to apply for amounts higher than this should be in confident in the ability to meet multiple objectives, and ideally can demonstrate prior success in similar projects, although this is not essential. Previous beneficiaries of Active Thames grants are welcome to apply again.

Applicants are also encouraged to clearly highlight in their applications how their projects support the wider objectives and outcomes of the Active Thames grant, namely to: