Supporting Junior Rowing

National Schools’ Regatta continues to support junior rowing across the UK with over £40,000 of grants awarded in 2023-2024

At the heart of the National Schools’ Regatta (NSR) is a commitment to supporting the growth of junior rowing throughout the UK. As a registered charity, our mission is clear: to support and nurture the next generation of rowers; by delivering a first-class racing experience and by supporting projects to enable more young people to become rowers, on and off the water.

In 2023 alone, NSR has been proud to distributed awards totalling £42,000 to clubs and schools across the UK. This financial support, funded largely by the proceeds from the NSR Shop, underscores our commitment to making rowing accessible to more young people. Whether it’s through the purchase of equipment to get young rowers onto the water or into the gym, or providing support for coaching of juniors, our goal remains constant: to ignite a passion for rowing that will last a lifetime.

One of the primary ways we fulfil this mission is by ensuring that our regatta is open to as many young athletes as possible and that the experience of competing at NSR is enjoyable. We are delighted that over 5000 young athletes choose to compete over the 3 days of competition. Our support extends far beyond facilitating competition, and the success of the regatta allows us to invest back into the rowing community that drives that passion for rowing.

For the past 30 years surplus generated from NSR, through shop sales and parking fees, is channelled towards assisting schools and rowing clubs with their junior rowing projects. This means that every purchase made at the NSR shop, or every car parked contributes directly to the development of young rowers across the country.

Throughout the years, the NSR has been privileged to make a variety of awards to clubs and schools dedicated to nurturing junior rowers. Recipients of our support this year include Walbrook Rowing Club, Agecroft Rowing Club, Walton Rowing Club, Mersey Rowing Club, Greater Manchester, Mersey Rowing Club, and Tormead School. These clubs and schools will all be enabling more young people to get involved with rowing and we always look forward to hearing how the newest members of our rowing community enjoy the sport.

James Harris, Club Captain at Agecroft Rowing Club said,

“Thanks to the generous support of the National Schools’ Regatta Charity we were able to buy sculling blades to support our rapidly growing junior group. We introduced Youth Rowing at Agecroft R.C. in 2022 and now have 60 inner city school children at the club every week. The blades that were being used needed constant repair, so the new, more durable, C2 bantam blades have been a game changer for both the schools and the club boatman.

The growth of the squad has meant a move from singles and doubles to quads which meant we were struggling to get sets of blades that were suitable for the age groups. The new blades have been hugely popular with the girls’ quads in particular!

James added,

“A huge thanks from all the schools, juniors and coaching group at Agecroft R.C.!”

Everyone involved in National Schools’ Regatta knows that rowing offers young people more than just physical activity. It instils values of dedication, teamwork, and fosters lifelong friendships. Behind every successful young rower are the coaches, teachers, and volunteers, and we are proud to play a small part in supporting what they do.

As we look to National Schools’ Regatta 2024 everyone who attends and makes purchases at the shop will know they are supporting other young rowers across the UK. Spend well – and know that you are investing in junior rowing in the UK!

Thank you.

M D Martin

Chairman, National Schools’ Regatta