Stratford upon Avon Boat Club were today named Parasport powered by Toyota’s very first Club of the Year after winning a public vote which also included all 11 Club of the Month winners. In October, the West Midlands club was voted Parasport Club of the Month for the exceptionally inclusive environment which they have cultivated.

In a special interview with Parasport, Adaptive Head Coach Mark Dewdney, said: “Everyone’s very proud to win the award, and I’m proud of them. Given it’s a public vote, it’s very special.

“The whole team have been campaigning for votes and really getting behind the effort, and I think that shows what we’re all about.

“It’s a privilege to be associated with all those other clubs, they are doing great work for disability sport”

He added: “Winning this award shows that together we are more than the sum of our parts. Any team with that ethos is going places.

“A club’s only as strong as what the members are prepared to contribute to it. We’ve got a strong team that works together.

“We were genuinely surprised to win. All the clubs we were up against – you could read every one of their stories and be mightily impressed with what they do. If any of them had won instead they would have been thoroughly deserving.

“It’s a privilege to be associated with all those other clubs, they are doing great work for disability sport.”

Talking about the club’s inclusive environment, Mark said: “There is no selection criteria for joining. If we can make it safe and you are willing to give it a go, we will try to make it work for you.

“One thing I’m keen to do is start an adaptive junior section. At the moment we’ve got disabled rowers aged 17 to 57, but I’d like to start an offering for teenagers.”

Reflecting on the new award, he said: “One of the biggest benefits of being Parasport Club of the Year will, hopefully, be more funding and perhaps a bit of sponsorship.

“What I would like to end up seeing is that it becomes an everyday thing, that every club has one or two – or however many – adaptive rowers.

“Disabled people should have the same opportunities as everybody else.”

Have you been inspired by the brilliant inclusive work undertaken by Parasport Club of the Year and Club of the Month winners?

Why not register for Parasport and give your club a chance of winning Club of the Month in the future. 

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“The sound of the water running under the boat is just so pleasing and the feeling of the weather all around me makes me appreciate that life is fantastic,” says Kate Lindgren, who first discovered the sport in 2017.

Lindgren suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, a rare eye disorder currently without a cure. Though she only has some light visual perception, luckily, Lindgren has found that this does not affect her ability to row.

Just after her 50th birthday, she was inspired to try out the sport after coming across a crew on the water near .

“One afternoon while out walking along the river with my daughter and guide dog, a rowing boat passed by with eight rowers, all older than myself. I wanted an activity which took place outdoors and hopefully all year round; little did I know then what I was letting myself in for!

“I contacted the club to see if they were happy to teach a blind person and one morning, I ended up there by myself – and for the first time in many years – minus a trusty guide dog or human guide.

“The group were so friendly and encouraging and the coaches made the experience of rowing fun and comfortable. From going out in a double with a coach I learnt to master (still trying) the technique of sculling.”

I have met some wonderful people at the rowing club and everyone is willing to help each other get on and off the water

When Lindgren sculls in a single her coach Pete Forrest helps her to navigate by giving instructions on a phone from the bank.

“I love the sense of freedom and independence I get from being in a single,” she says. “It gives me the ability to focus on my rowing stroke and be solely reliant on myself to balance the boat and make it move through the water.”

Lindgren likes to set herself a challenge and is keen to improve her times on the water.

“Even though I don’t push myself physically, I feel that my fitness levels have increased since I started.

“Rowing is a great sport for people of all ages, abilities and disabilities as it is low impact and can be adapted to an individual’s needs. I have met some wonderful people at the rowing club and everyone is willing to help each other get on and off the water.”

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In early October, adaptive rower Paul Smith sculled solo over 30 miles down the Solent from Portsmouth to the Needles Rocks in five hours, 29 minutes. The row was in preparation for crossing the English Channel next year.

The 59-year-old has been in a wheelchair for the last 14 years following a traffic accident and 12 years with locked in syndrome. But fiercely determined, Smith has been fundraising for years on land – pushing his wheelchair from Portsmouth to London and beyond – and in the sky, where he has skydived and abseiled for his charities. So now he is turning his attention to the sea.

However, until April this year, Smith had never rowed before, let alone sculling in a sliding seat, coastal boat. The furthest he’d rowed before the Needles adventure was almost six miles the week before.

He said: “I was pleased to finish the row. We reached 26 miles – the channel is 23 miles – in four and a half hours, so it seemed rude not to carry on and reach the Needles!“

“The sea was a little bit too calm for me – I could have done with a more of a swell, so I could practise eating and drinking.”

However, although calm and warm, the weather was also very misty with a sea fog hanging over the sea right across the Solent.

“As we approached the Needles Rocks, they disappeared behind a bank of fog!”

It forced a revised route that went to the north, hugging the Southsea sea front and eventually crossing the main shipping channel at Calshot, before a breeze finally blew away the mist and gave away to a lovely, sunny, day.

Smith learned to row at and was coached by Mike Gilbert, who followed the Solent row in a safety boat.

“I got in touch about a coastal scull and Mike was willing to coach on the promise that I’d do all the training,” said Smith.

“We’ve been out a lot on sunny days. You’re out in the middle of the sea, it’s been good. I just row to enjoy it and make a difference to people’s lives.”

Crossing the English Channel will be Smith’s 15th challenge, with his previous challenges raising an incredible £2.3 million overall for charities over the years.

He is looking for a sponsor for his Channel crossing so if you are interested then please get in touch. You can support his Channel row .

We would love to hear any stories that you have about your club or community. Why not share them with us via #YourStories.

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A new adaptive rowing programme for wounded service personnel has undergone a successful pilot phase in North Yorkshire. The innovative programme took place at the Help for Heroes Recovery Centre, Phoenix House, Catterick in collaboration with Durham Amateur Rowing Club and 91ĚŇÉ«.

Staff at the Recovery Centre have been eager to trial an adaptive, indoor rowing programme which could be incorporated into a long-term programme of sports recovery for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans. Phoenix House provided participants with a safe and friendly environment to try indoor rowing for six weeks with the opportunity to transfer to the water for a further six week Learn to Row course at Durham Amateur RC.

Eight members of forces personnel, all with severe disabilities, took part in the pilot scheme in March and April, with coaching provided by James Searle, Rowability Project Officer at 91ĚŇÉ«; Hilary Conway, Help For Heroes and Debbie Connelly from Durham Amateur RC. The participants represented a wide age range from 25-60 years old and were all newcomers to the sport. Multiple exit pathways to the programme were explored with some participants continuing to further rehab rowing, others to performance rowing and in the case of 3 athletes, to trailing for the Invictus Games at which one athlete competed in Florida, USA in May.

Remarking on the success of the programme, James Searle, 91ĚŇÉ« Rowability Project Officer, said, “The sessions have been fantastic and have engaged new participants at all levels of the sport. This has gone on to encourage a whole new group of people into rowing, with people who would never have tried the sport progressing to competition within a short period of time.”

Hilary Conway of Help for Heroes applauded the collaboration of the project members, “Throughout the project we have developed a great relationship with 91ĚŇÉ« and Durham Amateur Rowing Club.  We aim to build on the success of the project and deliver similar sessions in the future, alongside some introductory coaching awards, with our main aim being getting people out, or back out, on the water.”

Following the pilot scheme a further 10+ athletes joined a waiting list for the next phase of the programme which kicked off in August. Once again, participants will have the chance to continue rowing at the end of this programme, which intends to act as a catalyst to lifelong participation in the sport post-discharge, by linking participants to local rowing clubs close to their resettlement area.

As the programme expands, clubs wishing to participate in the scheme can reap the benefits of working with a major charity, helping people with impairments try rowing and boosting membership through inclusive practices. To find out more, contact James Searle at: james.searle@britishrowing.org

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