White Rose Canoe Club must have one of the most high profile, scenic settings in the country for a canoe club. Set in Roundhay Park, the largest lake in Leeds, 100s of people see them canoeing every week. So much in the public eye, this CCDP assisted project, is not only incredibly accessible to the people of Leeds, but it is promoting canoeing in a positive and ‘professional’ light on every outing.
Formally based in a swimming pool, it was hard for the club to grow and develop. Having received help from the BCU to secure £46,000 of CCDP funding to develop a new clubhouse, its membership has increased substantially and their taster days are always incredibly busy. A true testimony that with CCDP funding, participation levels shoot up.
Pam Taylor, a key member of the club says: “Our experience of CCDP funding is completely positive. We received a lot of help and backing from the BCU and the Sport England Development officer. We were not left floundering at any point.”
The city-owned lake was being restored to its former Victorian glory with the help of heritage money. The boathouse was to be restored, but as no commercial operator could be found, there was going to be no access to the water and its facilities. CCDP funding helped to refurbish the internal ground floor and in doing so unlocked the use of this lake. White Rose Canoe Club now have year-round access to the 700m long lake and operate with facilities on par with the best sports clubs in the country.
Pam adds: “We now have a wonderful boathouse and we couldn’t have dreamt of anything better. We couldn’t achieve what we now do without it.”
White Rose use the centre, ground floor section of the boathouse for canoe storage and also have access to the wet dock on the right of the boat house where safety boats and bellboats can be kept on the water but undercover. Leeds University and other rowers use the left side of the boathouse, a good example of where two sports can work harmoniously side by side. The low building with the wheelchair access ramp on the right houses toilets, changing rooms and a clubroom. With a restaurant on top of the boathouse, this is a high profile site for canoeing.
White Rose Canoe Club has around 150 members, making it one of Yorkshire's largest canoe clubs. They offer a wide range of events aimed mainly for families. Events range from easy canal and lake paddles through to more technical paddles on Grade 3 and 4 rivers in Yorkshire and other parts of the country.
Since moving into the new clubhouse, there has been a big increase in young people and women joining the club as based on a lake it is seen as a non-hostile environment. They can now offer more public taster days, which are incredibly popular, and have generated a significant number of new members. As the club is based in the park, it is highly visible to the public – particularly those who are socially deprived – many have been inspired to take a taster session at the least.
Having the new base has meant that the club has been able to diversify, offer more disciplines and expand its range of activities. They have always had a strong canoe polo team and a recreational side to the club but before the new base, were slightly apart. The club is now more cohesive with the polo players training on the lake.
The club is run by canoeing enthusiasts for canoeing enthusiasts of all disciplines and abilities. They cater for kayaks, open canoes, touring, sea, surf, disabled paddlers and white water paddlers.
The club also has an active canoe polo section that train twice a week and has three teams competiting in local and national leagues. Several club members are on the Great Britain squad and play at international tournaments. Club members who are interested in other paddlesport disciplines are supported, and youngsters have recently attended slalom, marathon and wild water racing events.
www.whiterosecc.org.uk