Weybridge Rowing Club Development Plan

The 2004-2009 development plan submitted to the ARA as part of our Clubmark application can be viewed here (in MS Word format)

Since this was published at the beginning of 2004, we have achieved the following:

  1. Appointed Steve Heywood as Chief Coach. Steve was one of our most successful oarsmen in the 1990s, rowing in our Thames Cup crew.
  2. Increased the number of qualified coaches. Caroline Turnbull (Bronze) qualified as a Tutor/Assessor for the IA course and is working towards Silver. John Turnbull and Nigel Gower are working towards Bronze. Jonathan Beagley and Tony Wright gained the Instructors Award. Further IA courses will be held each year to encourage other volunteer coaches to qualify.
  3. Elmbridge Borough Council awarded a grant of £325 towards a new ergo.
  4. We purchased a new Janousek coxed four for the men's squad and a Lola Aylings double scull for juniors and women.
  5. The Weybridge Veterans Head was expanded to include events for juniors in eights, fours and quads.
  6. We held an invitation junior training regatta to give young rowers their first taste of side-by-side racing without the pressures of a "real" regatta. Youngsters from Walbrook, Burway and Staines took part and the event proved so popular that it is likely to be run annually and include adult "first timers" as well.
  7. We organise sculling clinics in April and September each year, coached by Allan Whitwell, former Olympic Silver Medallist
  8. Several of the parents of juniors have taken an informal in-house coaching assistant course and regularly help at training sessions. Many others are learning to row and also help with club maintenance and social events.
  9. We have held three 6-week intensive "Learn to Row" courses, as well as our informal weekend beginners sessions, and now have active novice and recreational squads.
  10. Following discussions with members, the majority of whom wish to stay on our present site, we will be negotiating an extension of our current lease with the National Trust and looking at ways of improving the clubhouse.
  11. We will be launching our 125th Anniversary celebrations at the Dinner and Dance on 19th November 2005.