Emily Ford on All Aboard Youth Rowing, “We want to give back to the sport and the community”
Fergus Mainland caught up with the Olympic bronze medallist to hear about an exciting partnership between Fords of Winsford and All Aboard Youth Rowing
Fords of Winsford car dealer has recently announced an exciting new partnership to support All Aboard Youth Rowing’s (AAYR) efforts to make rowing accessible to as many children as possible.
Led by Olympic bronze medallist Emily Ford, who’s also been an AAYR ambassador since 2021, the partnership will grow help cover some of the core costs of the charity. It will also enable them to continue to grow their footprint as they look to expand to seven sites in September, with the introduction of Hollingworth Lake RC to the portfolio.
“We’ve been a rowing family now for a very long time,” explained Emily, who was part of the Great Britain Women’s Eight that won bronze at the Paris Olympics.
“My two older brothers started out the rowing journey for our family. It’s now got to the point where we want to give back to the sport and the community, and we thought there was no better way to support the sport. AAYR are doing an incredible amount of work for children in the community and for disadvantaged children. We saw that work, and we wanted to support them.”
Having been involved with the charity for a number of years, Emily has seen firsthand the impact the sport can have on young people.
“I vividly remember the first time I went down to a rowing session and I met this little girl who was very quiet and quite timid. I took her rowing, and she suddenly started smiling. That for me was enough. She was so happy, it was almost as if she had left all of her problems on the riverbank, and suddenly she felt free.
“She was happy, and I thought that this is what this programme is all about. It’s about giving people that way to escape their problems, and the way I like to think about it is leaving their problems on the riverbank, and they get to go and be free.
“For me, I will never forget that day, and that is what the programme is doing so well at the moment with children in the area. It’s giving them that space to be free, to feel safe. Rowing clubs are like a home, and there are families within rowing clubs.”
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AAYR was founded by Ben Dunne, then Principal at Penketh High School and Richard Sinnott in 2016. The goal was simple: to engage with local pupils across Warrington, giving them access to rowing, taking them on a sporting journey with the ambition to change their lives.
What started as a project involving eight local high schools and one dedicated coach quickly transformed into a scheme involving multiple schools and coaches across six, soon to be seven, sites in the North West.
The growth of AAYR has been transformational, and next year, they will be working with between 40 and 45 schools in Warrington. This means that they will be teaching 450 children a week how to row, and every child who goes to secondary school in the city will have access to rowing through the programme’s work.
For Richard, who recently won British Rowing’s Lifetime Achievement Award, it’s a partnership he’s excited to see grow, particularly having known the Ford family for a long period of time.
“Em’s incredibly passionate about what we do and really believes in what we do, and it’s a joy to have her along with us,” he explained.
“The whole family are an incredibly supportive unit. Paul and Christine are amazing parents who used to tow the trailers around for The Grange School back when there would be camping weekends at Nottingham. My daughter is a similar age to their children, and those sorts of things were great experiences. In those days, all the North West clubs used to get together on the campsite and all muck in, have a bit of a BBQ, so yes, very fond memories with them.”
Ford of Winsford is a family-run business. It was founded by Emily’s grandparents, Vernon and Jean Ford, and her two eldest brothers also work in the same office as her.
“I want to make sure I make an impact there,” said Emily.
“When you’re rowing, you have your own personal dreams and your own personal goals and ambitions, and I want to bring those into the family business and align myself with those dreams. I also want to get the same feelings I had in sport, but in a very different way.
“My mum and dad own the business, so yes, I am reporting to them. My two eldest brothers, John and Ed, also work in the business, but we all get on like a house on fire, it’s been great, and it’s a very different challenge to what I’d been working towards before. I have a lot of learning to do, but that’s a good thing as it will better me and better everything. I can understand people probably think it’s a bit strange working for your dad, but I absolutely love it!
“I want to make an impact in my life, so if I can be doing something that I deem worthwhile. That’s why I also want to support AAYR because they’re making an impact, and I want to help them do that.
The partnership will be essential to the running of the charity. In order for them to expand and continue their essential work, their core costs must be taken care of, and that’s where Fords of Winsford come in.
“All charities will tell you that when they are fundraising for core costs, it’s very difficult,” explained Richard.
“Everybody wants to fund new projects and see expansion, but core costs are what really drive charities forward, and it’s nice to be able to arrange a sponsorship that is happy to contribute towards these and keep it running. For these things to work, there has to be a relationship built up, and it has to work for both sides. If it’s going to work, we have to make it value for money for them and make sure everyone can feel involved, but it has to work for both sides. It has to be attractive to them as well as being very, very attractive for us.”
Despite his years of service to the sport, the recent recognition for his efforts still came as a shock.
“It was a complete surprise! I actually found out the night before, and I was delighted; it was very nice to be recognised. The award has my name in it, but really, it’s all the other people who helped out as well. One person can’t do all the work. It’s an award for everybody and recognition for all of the work that goes on.”
