Durham Amateur Rowing Club

Proposed Development

Press Release 9th June 2006

Members of Durham Amateur Rowing Club, one of the country’s oldest and most successful rowing clubs, are gearing themselves up for one final fund raising drive to reach the £900,000 target necessary for the redevelopment of their club and boathouse.

The club was originally established in 1860, but moved to the Green Lane site in 1970 into a club and boathouse largely built by the members themselves. By 2000, however, the 200 or so members had outgrown their facility and started a drive to gain planning permission and raise the necessary funds to build a bigger facility. Some six years later, with planning permission  granted and with the assistance of funding from Sport England, the Amateur Rowing Association, Northern Rock Foundation, Durham Regatta Committee, Durham City Council, Durham Local Education Authority and the DfES, the club are now almost within sight of their £900,000 goal.

Club Secretary, Barry Hudson, explained, “Rowing has been flourishing in Durham for well over 100 years, but in that time the demands of sport have changed so that people now expect first class training, changing and social facilities. We currently store about 100 boats here, ranging from single sculls right up to the 60’ long racing 8’s which need a  lot of space to be kept safely. We’ve been gradually adding on to our facilities over the years but realised that we basically needed a new building if we are to remain a successful club and a launch pad for future international rowers.”

Designed by Newcastle-based architects, Jane Darbyshire & David Kendall Ltd (JDDK), the new  single storey building will replace the existing club  and be built around the existing boathouse, which is extended by some 30% in area. The lightweight  steel framed and block work building will have a variety of external treatments, including decorative brickwork, render and timber boarding.

The new club is linked to the boathouse through two changing rooms with showers and toilets and contains a main bar/lounge with patio doors  opening on  to  a   south facing terrace, a fitness room,  gymnasium,  kitchen, office and a fully equipped IT suite.

The IT suite is funded by Durham LEA and the DfES’  ‘Playing For Success’ scheme which promotes study Centres for for pupils in sporting venues and is the first such scheme in a rowing club nationally. The programme is targeted at 9-14 year olds who may be  disaffected by a traditional education environment and is designed to build their self esteem and confidence through studying in a sporting environment.

Barry Hudson continued, “We hope to learn the outcome of our application to the Durham City Council ‘Flourishing Communities Fund’ soon. Following the Durham Regatta, we have our final fund raising events over the weekend of the 23rd to the 25th of June, after which we hope to be able to have funding in place to allow construction to begin. It’s been a hard slog for six years but it will have been worth it to see this magnificent new building up and running so that the sport can continue to flourish here at Durham.”