Pioneering partnership brings school rowing talent to Nottingham waters

The academy trust has launched Redhill Rowing Academy, joining forces with big names in the sport to inspire young people to be active through rowing. A boathouse has been leased, with students expected to take to the water this summer.

The Trust’s 10 secondary schools have seen significant investment in equipment and coaching, in preparation for rowing on the water. Each school now boasts 10 Concept2 rowing machines which are being put to good use through high-octane inter-house and Trust-wide competitions, and co-curricular clubs. And some students will have the chance to compete in local and national competitions. 

Adam Douglas, Redhill Trust’s Sports Development Officer, said: “We’re hugely excited to be at Holme Pierrepont to launch this initiative which will see Redhill students rowing on the water this summer and beyond.”

“Excitement around rowing is building across our schools thanks to our ongoing partnership with London Youth Rowing. Their Active Row Nottingham programme aims to establish rowing clubs in state secondary schools – and it’s rapidly gaining momentum at Redhill Trust.”

Success in rowing requires and develops commitment, focus, resilience and an appetite for challenge. These qualities are closely aligned with our Trust values. We strive to ensure that all children achieve their full potential through equal access to a wide range of experiences and opportunities, outstanding teaching and a focus on high expectations. We encourage our students to be the best they can be. Rowing is the perfect sport to foster this potential

Andrew Burns OBE - Chief Executive, Redhill Academy Trust

Over the next three years, London Youth Rowing (LYR) will support Redhill Academy Trust to establish a rowing programme in each of its 10 secondary schools, located across Nottingham and Derbyshire. LYR will provide seed management and funding for the programme, before handing over programme delivery to Redhill in three to five years’ time.

LYR will help the Trust to deliver on-water rowing at Holme Pierrepont (home of the National Watersports Centre) and the Nottingham & Union Rowing Club on Trentside. After three years, Redhill Boat Club will be created, and the Trust will take occupancy of the LYR boat bay at the National Watersports Centre. 

This innovative partnership will benefit all partners; for the first years of the Redhill programme, all students will become members of Nottingham & Union Rowing Club (NURC) and compete for the club. NURC will rack some of its fleet in the LYR boat bay for use in the delivery of its youth programmes. In return, NURC will have access to the boat bay and rowing lake for the use of its members.

Serco, which manages the National Watersports Centre on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council, have generously provided the boat bay. Additional programme support comes from British Rowing and essential funding from Henley Royal Regatta Charitable Trust.

Adam said: “Redhill Rowing Academy would not be possible without the invaluable support of our partners. Our mission is to provide opportunities for students to engage all year round with rowing – both indoor and on the water.”

“Together, we’re dedicated to providing experiences that build young people’s resilience, respect for others and self-confidence. We’ve already seen these positive impacts across our schools during our first ever cross-Trust Indoor Rowing Competition.”

The exhilarating virtual heats spanned the final few weeks of 2024 with rowing machines set up in school gyms and social spaces to build excitement. More than 2,900 individual students gave their best rowing attempts, each aiming to top the leader boards. In the end, their combined total distance rowed was just shy of 2 million metres – that’s the distance between Nottingham and north Africa!

Then, in March, it was time for each school’s best rowers to compete face-to-face in the Trust championships. Two hundred rowers lined up for a battle of the fittest. The atmosphere was electric. Staff coaches and student coxswains crouched with their rowers, providing tactical tips and encouragement amidst rapturous support from the spectator stands.

Adam said: “The event was a huge success, further embedding rowing as a Trust sport. We were blown away to see several students post scores higher than achieved at either of last year’s National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships or British Indoor Rowing Championships, which is an outstanding achievement!”

“This proves to us that Redhill Rowing Academy has a really strong future – and we’ve only just started. Already we’ve managed to increase the number of students in our schools who are regularly rowing. Now we’re growing the opportunities for competition, both in and between schools, but also identifying students who could compete at a national level. School rowing clubs will feed into local community clubs like Nottingham & Union Rowing Club, allowing the most talented young sportspeople the chance to develop and excel further.”

We have been blown away by the clarity of purpose from Redhill’s leadership, the energy and commitment of its staff, and, most of all, the students’ appetite for challenge. Along with our partners, Nottingham and Union Rowing Club, we look forward to supporting Redhill over the coming years, as they blaze a trail in state school rowing, and set new standards for what can be achieved in the sport

Ben Cox - Regional Development Director, London Youth Rowing

Having a fleet of rowing boats located at the Trust’s very own boathouse at Holme Pierrepont is key to achieving this ambition, giving young people access to regular on-water rowing experiences that develop their confidence and competence.

The partnership between Redhill Academy Trust and London Youth Rowing is built on the belief that sport can develop the whole child; physically, mentally and socially. Of course, this is not unique to rowing, but there are aspects of the sport that offer unique opportunities for growth.

London Youth Rowing has seized the opportunity, since the advent of multi-academy trusts, to help state schools across the UK to access a sport which has previously been the preserve of the independent school sector. Now, with individual academies able to pool their resources, MATs can centralise facility and coaching costs so that all students across the trust have equal opportunity to discover the sport.

The Redhill Rowing Academy partnership is the perfect example of how LYT has supported a trust from the earliest stages; delivering staff coaching, supporting the introduction of indoor rowing through the PE curriculum, launching a co-curricular range of on and off water events. Ultimately, giving tens of thousands of young people a clear and compelling pathway to competitive rowing.

Ben Cox, Regional Development Director at London Youth Rowing, said: “We knew straight away that Redhill Trust shared our vision for the way sport can help young people develop, grow, and realise their potential.”

“With university rowing in the UK being arguably the strongest in the world, the sport can act as a great engine for social and economic mobility. We want young people from all backgrounds, through rowing, to broaden their horizons, and realise that there are no limits to where they can go, both on the water and off.”