1. sports
2. rowing

Annual Report &
Accounts
for the year ended 30 September 2014
Contents
1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 2
2. Officers of the Council ........................................................................................................................... 3
3. Chairman’s Report ................................................................................................................................... 5
4. Deputy Chairmen’s & Divisional Reports .......................................................................................... 8
5. Sport Committee Members’ Reports ............................................................................................... 16
6. Accounts ................................................................................................................................................... 25
7. Register of the Year............................................................................................................................... 29
8. Contacting the Council ......................................................................................................................... 31
Produced by the Thames Regional Rowing Council, November 2014
Version 1 (12 November 2014)
Compiled, edited and typeset by E Ll Rees, Honorary Treasurer
E&OE
1
1. Introduction
The Thames Regional Rowing Council (TRRC) is a body made up of representatives of all
Member Clubs and Events affiliated to British Rowing in the Thames Region.
The TRRC Mission is:
To enable the Thames Region to develop rowing at all levels, by enabling every community
within the Region to participate in the sport and to maximise our strengths at local, national
and international level.
2
2. Officers of the Council
Tom Aggar, President
Neil Jackson, Vice President (Immediate Past President)
John Chapman, Vice President (Past President 2011‒12)
John Clayton, Vice President
Michael Kennedy, Vice President
Stan Collingwood, Vice President (Past President 2010‒11)
Elizabeth Wray, Vice President (Past President 2009‒10)
Richard Goddard, Vice President (Past President 2008‒9)
Chas Newens, Vice President (Past President 2007‒8)
Bill Mitchell, Vice President (Past President 2006‒7)
Margaret Adams, Vice President (Past President 2005‒6)
Chris Sprague, Vice President (Past President 2004‒5)
Peter Moore, Vice President Elect
Tony Evans, Vice President Elect
Fred Smallbone, Vice President Elect
Mike Williams, Vice President Elect
Rod Murray, Vice President Elect
Sport Committee 2013‒14
Elected and Co-opted Officers
Martin Humphrys JP, Chairman & Regional Welfare Adviser ‡§
Martin Teale, Deputy Chairman (South East) ‡
Luke Dillon, Deputy Chairman (London) ‡
David Hancock, Deputy Chairman (Upriver) ‡
James Lee, Honorary Secretary ‡
Edward Lloyd Rees, Honorary Treasurer ‡
Kirsten Adams, Assistant Honorary Secretary
Jim Harlow, Projects Co-ordinator
John Biddle, Chairman, Thames Regional Umpires’ Committee
Richard Philips, Chairman, Coaching Committee
Laura Lion, Chairman, Junior Committee (Upriver)
Jonathan Cheesman, Chairman, Junior Committee (London)
Alice Donkin, Chairman, Junior Committee (South East)
Karon Phillips, Co-Chairman, Masters’ Committee (Upriver)
Rosemary Thom, Co-Chairman, Masters’ Committee (London)
Luke Dillon, Chairman, Regional Calendar & Events Committee, succeeded by:
James Lee, Chairman, Regional Calendar & Events Committee
Tony Evans, Events Calendar Co-ordinator
Tony Reynolds, Regional Rowing Safety Adviser
Roy Prosser, Deputy Regional Rowing Safety Adviser (Upriver)
Chris Davidson, Deputy Regional Rowing Safety Adviser (South East)
Neil Jackson, Deputy Regional Rowing Safety Adviser (London)
Steve O’Connor, Deputy Regional Rowing Safety Adviser (Youth)
Richard Packer, Equipment Officer, until 27 August 2014
Maksymilian Orzel, Equipment Officer, thereafter
Peter Moore, Recreational Representative
Richard West, Environment Agency Liaison Officer
3
Bill Mitchell, Port of London Authority Liaison & Tideway Code of Conduct
Chris Sprague, Chairman of the Tideway Code of Conduct Panel
Julie Watson, Organiser, Tideway Code of Conduct for Events
Andy Weekes, Safety Liaison
Barbara Wilson, Communications Officer
Murray Litvak, Regional Facilities Adviser
‡ Member of the Executive Board of the TRRC
Divisional Representatives (British Rowing Regional Representatives )
Mark Blandford-Baker, TU-1 (Isis–Cherwell) §
Peter Knowles TU-2 (Kennet–Thame) §
Laura Lion, TU-3 (Wye–Colne) §
Richard West, TU-4 (Wey–Mole) §
Filip Ljubicic, TL-5 (Crane–Brent) §
Luke Dillon, TL-6 (Bollo–Stamford) §
Alex Brown, TL-7 (Beverley–Wandle) § until 28 August 2014
Chris Harrison, TL-7 (Beverley–Wandle) § thereafter
Martin Teale, TS-8 (Darenth–Medway) §
§ Member of the Council of British Rowing
British Rowing Participation Team
Sarah Birch
Paul Lorenzato
Jacqui Beer
Thames Regional Umpires’ Committee
John Biddle (Chairman), David Hancock, David Biddulph, Gary Painter, Jeremy Hudson,
John Duff, Jerry Mitchell, Claire McIntosh, John Robson (Secretary), Harry Salmon,
Ian Baldwin, Roy Prosser, Peter Knowles, Elaine Green and Alison Faiers.
Events & Calendar Committee
James Lee (Chairman), Kirsten Adams, Luke Dillon, Tony Evans and Edward Lloyd Rees.
Financial
The bankers to the TRRC are:
HSBC Bank plc.
The Independent Honorary Examiner for 2013‒14 was:
Paul Baldwin FCA
4
3. Chairman’s Report
As I sit down to write my report this year I am somewhat saddened to have just received
on my desk a formal complaint from residents of Kew Green that whilst marking the two
minutes silence on Remembrance Sunday at the War Memorial, some coaches on the river
close to the memorial broke that silence by shouting through their megaphones and
continued coaching when by using their brains they could have saved embarrassment all
round. I have apologised on behalf of the entire rowing community to those concerned that
the behaviour of a few can destroy all of the good will we have worked hard to establish
within our communities.
When I came into the role of Regional Chairman back in 2004 I immediately had to deal
with the Salvage Association reviewing whether rowing would even continue on the
Tideway as the Port of London Authority (PLA) had become concerned with the way
oarsmen and oarswomen were taking little or no regard to the rules of the river and it
could not continue.
Ten years on we have a relationship with the PLA and with all other river users which is the
envy of other stakeholders. Much of that is down to our team in the Thames Region and at
the PLA who have worked hard to ensure that everyone can use and enjoy our river to the
full. However, this demands that wherever and whenever we can, we respect the values
that as a nation we hold most dear.
Unfortunately the complaint about Remembrance Sunday is a sad one, but I receive others
where coaches fail to remember that not everyone wishes to be woken by megaphones at
six or seven in the morning especially at weekends and it is imperative that our coaches play
their part. Not all the complaints come direct to the Region or even British Rowing. Some
of those complaints do get passed on by the public to the Police as reports of anti-social
behaviour. With boat identification now in force, determining who is letting down the sport
of rowing in such a disgraceful and unacceptable fashion is all the more easier.
The year 2014 has been a very difficult one for those of us concerned with rowing as we
saw our rivers running at speeds never seen before and once again saw clubs having to stay
off the river for some considerable time. Having seen some serious incidents occur on all
reaches of our river, it is very important that all coaches ensure they do undertake risk
assessments before taking out their crews and remember they will be required, should
anything go wrong, to report on how they determined their actions were safe for all
concerned.
Safety has been the theme running throughout the work of the Regional Council this year
and I have to thank the PLA and the RNLI for their efforts in working with us at all levels to
ensure our clubs and events can run relatively unhindered. The PLA has also this year
supported our LOOK OUT campaign and we now should have the posters up in all clubs
along the River be they Tideway or Upriver or South East Clubs. Pleasingly the other
regions have been only too happy to print off and publish those posters in their clubs—an
excellent Thames Region product which can be used throughout the whole country.
In that vein we have for many years been trying to work out how it would be best to ensure
that the rules of the Tideway are known by all who need to row on our waters and how we
can ensure that the briefings we give annually to the Tideway clubs can be rolled out to all
clubs in the Region and beyond. Through the good work that he had already done in
5
producing the Look Out posters, Neil Pickford (Cygnet RC and the Regional Water Safety
Team) has produced the safety briefing in a downloadable source which we have placed on
You Tube at youtube.com/watch?v=GHeJ0M3L4ok. The final product is excellent and
the Regional Council is very much in Neil’s debt for producing something that will benefit
the rowing community for many years to come.
We continue to see change occurring at a national level and regretfully no significant
sponsor in sight. The year started with the then CEO Kate Burt leaving to eventually take
on a role as Chief Operating Officer at Greenhouse. The Thames Region certainly wishes
her well for the future. In the intervening period we have had an acting CEO in the form of
Neil Chugani who is well known to many in the rowing world. I am pleased to say that
finally the British Rowing Board has announced the appointment of Andy Parkinson as CEO
from January 2015. He brings first class credentials to the leadership of British Rowing. He
is currently Chief Executive of UK Anti-Doping, having been the first appointment to that
position in 2009. We wish him well in his new role and hope it will not be too long before
we see him producing a major new sponsor for what is effectively one of the top sports in
the UK—we have already been without one for far too long.
The changes brought in to Regional Representation are still working their way through and
we continue to see changes within the Thames Region: Alex Brown has stood down from
TL-7 and has been replaced by Chris Harrison. Tony Evans after many years’ service to the
Region as both Divisional and then Regional Representative stood down and Laura Lion
took on that role in TU-3. Mark Blandford-Baker has been trying hard to juggle his roles on
the Board of British Rowing as well as representing TU-1: the NGB has decided that those
elected by Council to serve on the Board cannot be termed Representatives and thus we
are working on a process that where this happens another Representative may be elected
to maintain the proper representation for the Region.
After some eight years looking after the equipment we hire to regattas and heads, Richard
Packer has stood down and we cannot thank him—and Judith—enough for all they have
done over the last years in ensuring a steady income for the Region. As Maks Orzel takes
on that role we thank him for stepping in to what is a very crucial role. Likewise after
service to the Region in many roles, Paul Baldwin has stood down as Independent Honorary
Examiner and we thank him for all of his efforts. At the same time we welcome Oliver
Kimberley who having stood down as National Treasurer was only too happy to assist us in
the Region and we welcome him most warmly.
The Sport Committee also recommended at the beginning of the year the addition of five
new Vice Presidents for their services to the Region: Peter Moore; Tony Evans; Fred
Smallbone; Mike Williams; and Rod Murray.
I am very grateful to our President Tom Aggar who, even when he has been away on
training camps and competitions, has found the time to keep us up-to-date on what is going
on and the Sport Committee is delighted that he has agreed to continue as President for
another year.
We have without doubt a very strong mix of young and mature Council members on the
Sport Committee and I am very grateful those who are mentoring the younger volunteers
to bring them on in various roles. It is essential if we are not to suddenly have a situation
where an area of governance within the Region is lacking that we train up our successors in
good time.
6
I am very grateful to my three Deputy Chairmen, Luke Dillon, David Hancock and Martin
Teale, for with a region of this size, one could not carry on the governance of the Region
without their commitment. Likewise a big thank-you must be paid to James Lee, the
Regional Honorary Secretary, and Edward Lloyd Rees, the Regional Honorary Treasurer,
for without them the Region as a viable unit just could not function.
We are still waiting to see the further final changes in racing being promulgated and
discussed following another review by a working group of the Competitions Committee and
we should have those shortly.
This year for the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta we had three full teams and some
outstanding results and for that I must thank Laura Lion, Jonathan Cheesman and Alice
Donkin for producing the teams and to congratulate once again Thames Upriver who took
all of the trophies—Overall, Junior Men and Junior Women. Another outstanding
performance!
We continue as a Region to go from strength to strength and the number of participants in
our sport usually increases—however for the first time in many years the number of
participants in the Thames Region has fallen and if we are not to see the money to our
sport cut again by UK Sport and Sport England we must reverse that trend and swiftly.
It is important that all of our volunteers are given credit for their efforts and I for one on
behalf of the Regional Council thank them for all they do especially the volunteer coaches
who are out in all weathers to encourage their charges, young and old, to greater things, or
likewise parents, friends, spouses and partners who give their time freely to ensure that
someone gets to an event on time or puts their boat together. They are there when
needed at times of elation and disappointment.
Even more importantly, too many think that events like regattas and head races just take
place. They do not; stand back and think of all of the hours and hours an event, small or
large, local or national, takes up for those who organise it. Likewise it is amazing how quick
people are to indicate how things should have been done if we have to cancel an event due
to safety or how they would have done it by reducing the course or re-arranging 400+
boats at the click of a finger. We have without doubt the best teams running our national
events in the Region and I thank them all for everything they do. That said, if people do not
volunteer in greater numbers the sport as we know it will die. It is the duty of each and
every one of us in the year ahead to bring at least one volunteer into the sport—if that
happened we will safeguard our sport for many years to come.
Martin Humphrys JP
7
4. Deputy Chairmen’s & Divisional
Reports
Deputy Chairman (Upriver)—Dave Hancock
I’ll concentrate on events in this brief summary and leave the activities of clubs for the
Divisional Representatives to report on.
The 2013-14 head season started promisingly for Upriver events. The only event cancelled
before Christmas was Marlow LDS – and that was because of boathouse rebuilding rather
than the weather. But the rains returned with a vengeance in late December and January
causing the worst floods in living memory, which didn’t start to subside until mid-March.
Weybridge Winter, Hampton, Henley 4s & 8s, Molesey Vets, Burway, and Reading
University Heads all succumbed to the wet.
At Dorney, Thames Valley Trial Head and the Scullery Head were held. And things had
dried up by late March for Kingston and Abingdon to take place.
Summer was better. The Ball Cup South had to be cancelled because of high winds at
Dorney. And Richmond was cancelled for want of an entries’ secretary. But all other
regattas were held. The high entries from 2012 continued, especially in junior categories,
with many of the pre-summer holiday regattas having to close their entries early.
8
TU-1 (Isis–Cherwell)—Mark Blandford-Baker
Summary of the Year
This year I have continued to represent this Division on the Regional and National Council,
though I have not been able to attend all meetings. A proxy has been to National Council
for the two meetings I could not manage for work reasons.
In general the year has been quiet in the Division, I have passed out information from the
centre and from the Region to the clubs and events. Of course, like so much else of the
country, there was no rowing for many weeks over the very wet winter period.
Events
Some winter events were cancelled owing to the river being in spate, but the spring and
summer has been as busy as normal.
Clubs
There has been no substantial change to any of the clubs in the Division and participation
numbers have held up or increased in some cases. City of Oxford RC is particularly busy
with those trying the sport for the first time and enjoying a good retention rate.
Safety & Welfare
I am unaware of any major safety issues in the Division over the past year. Welfare issues
are necessarily confidential; I am now serving as a British Rowing Board Member on the
Child Safeguarding Case Management Group.
I have continued to serve on the British Rowing Board as one of two members elected by
the national Council. I have also continued to serve on the Multi-Lane Umpiring Panel, the
National Facilities Panel, as Hon. Treasurer of National Schools’ Regatta, and as a FISA and
domestic Umpire.
9
TU-2 (Kennet–Thame)—Peter Knowles
Summary of the Year
This year followed a very similar pattern to 2012‒13. The autumn Heads ran pretty much
as usual and when the rain did eventually start it turned out to be one of the wettest
Winter/early Spring periods for many years. February was one of the wettest on record
with over 6 inches of rain recorded in the Thames Valley. Red boards were out for about 3
months with significant flooding in my division – particularly in Henley. All Spring Head
races were cancelled well into March.
Again the regatta season started in fairly cool conditions and by late June summer was truly
with us. The river regattas showed strong entries but were heavily biased to the lower
status events. Reading Regatta was notable by attracting over 80 eights for a two-lane river
regatta, which meant nearly four hours of continuous eights racing on the Saturday. Even
when we had good weather, the support from general spectators was still quite small and
was mainly made up of other rowers or friends and families of rowers.
Henley Royal Regatta celebrated 175 years and again had one of its warmest regattas in
several years. There was some close racing with domestic crews dominating the entries in
this ‘between Olympics’ year.
Clubs
Henley Rowing Club, also celebrating 175 years, had one of their most successful years
winning over 175 events. Of particular note was their Junior Girls Squad with wins at
domestic, national and international levels.
Events
Following the successful introduction of Primary Events at Henley Town & Visitors’ Regatta
in 2013, it was disappointing to see this year the drop in support from clubs and crews. The
regatta found it difficult to attract crews to this new style of event.
Safety
One serious safety issue happened this year—a Shiplake College crew got caught above
Shiplake weir. This was dealt with at a Regional level and several lessons were learnt. This
also prompted a practice exercise to be held at Mapledurham weir later in the winter to
test the capabilities of the rescue services. I am still aware of an increasing number of minor
incidents and near misses which need to be addressed.
10
TU-3 (Wye–Colne)—Laura Lion
Summary of the Year
Thank you to Tony Evans for his work in the TU-3 division over many years. I have been
tasked with following in his footsteps which won’t be easy. All of the TU-3 clubs are familiar
to me through my Thames Upriver Junior representative role but I plan to visit everyone
over the coming year to introduce myself.
TU-3 suffered from severe flooding from December 2013 to March 2014 keeping everyone
off the water for extended periods. We are fortunate to have Dorney Lake close by which
enabled weekend training for most clubs. These continued floods preventing clubs from
rowing illustrates the growing importance of land training facilities for our members and
challenges the coaches to keep athletes engaged during winter months.
Events
We have seen the gradual “liberation” of events from the restrictive old competition
format. Dorney-based events especially embraced the new opportunities to offer a
minimum of two races, including time trials which allowed organisers to run races with
crews of a similar speed making racing more exciting for crews and supporters. Regattas are
still exploring how they can develop their events with this being the first season of testing
the water.
Clubs
TU-3 enjoys some of the strongest clubs in the country. We have watched Marlow Rowing
Club’s new clubhouse grow with great excitement. They have now moved their boats into
what is a beautiful building offering top class training facilities over their floors. Against all
the odds Marlow has maintained its competitive edge during such a difficult time for them
and we look forward to seeing them grow in the future.
Safety & Welfare
Safety has been at the forefront of our minds with the continual winter flooding. Further
upriver we had an incident which illustrated the need for all clubs to have a robust safety
system to ensure no unnecessary risks are taken especially after a long period of flooding
when water flows start to reduce and crews are desperate to get back out on the water.
TU-4 (Wey–Mole)—Richard West
Nil report.
11
Deputy Chairman (London) & TL-6 (Bollo–Stamford)—Luke Dillon
Summary of the Year
This year has seen a number of significant events and challenges in the Region. The weather
in January and February led to an unusually high number of incidents on the water along
with some very serious near misses. In consultation with the PLA the TRRC produced the
Fluvial Flow flag system that has now been fully and successfully implemented. It is important
to remember that the aim of the flags is to highlight the current flow on the ebb tide and to
encourage clubs to plan accordingly. The proactive response from all clubs in reviewing their
safety arrangements and in incorporating the new flag system contributed significantly to the
reduction in incidents though the remainder of the season.
There has also been significant work done on the river in the last year; at Chiswick, Putney
and Battersea bridges arch closures have disrupted activities on and off the water but again
clubs responded positively and showed excellent resilience.
Events
Events in the early part of the season had exceptional flow rates to contend with. The
majority passed without incident and again the centre of the Thames Region played host to
some of the largest head races in the world. Our Junior Inter-Regional teams preformed
very well coming third overall in the Victor Ludorum in 2014 in Nottingham.
Clubs
There have been several new clubs affiliated in the Region, London Youth Rowing
Tradesmen boating from Chiswick boathouse, East India Club Rowing Section boating from
Auriol Kensington, and Fulham Reach Boat Club boating from Fulham Reach. The everincreasing number of clubs and oarsman is testament to the London part of the Thames
Region being one of the best pieces of water in the country on which to row.
Safety & Welfare
An ever increasing number of boats and coaches brings with it some challenges. After a
summer and autumn of low rainfall we can expect some very low tides and it is important
that rowers, scullers, coxes and coaches continue to extend each other the same courtesy
that they would expect to receives especially with regards to launch wash and giving space
to crews when they are training.
As the number of other recreational water users also increases we will see more paddle
boards, canoes, pleasure boats, canal boats and dinghies using the river. It is important that
the rowing community strive to be beyond reproach in terms of our navigation and use of
the water. Where issues arise they should be brought to the attention of the Port of
London authority and British Rowing though the incident reporting systems. This year has
general been low on this type of incident but it is important to continue to report concerns
as they arise.
12
TL-5 (Crane–Brent)—Filip Ljubicic
Summary of the Year
This year was another busy year for the clubs and events on the Crane–Brent stretch. This
wasn’t made easy with the continued engineering work that has been on going on Chiswick
Bridge.
What is particularly pleasing is the rise of junior rowing in the Region through Team Keane
and London Youth Rowing bringing in local schools to try rowing. This is great for our sport
as we introduce more people to rowing who never had the opportunity before.
It is a great pleasure to see many clubs in the division representing Great Britain at many
levels, from Junior to Senior. In particular seeing Putney Town’s Charlotte Taylor breaking
into the Senior Team. Three other notable rowers in the Region who you may occasionally
see on the river are our World Champions, Nathaniel Reilly O’Donnell, Paul Bennett and
James Fox all of whom boat from University of London.
Of note is the increase in the number of masters now rowing from many of the clubs, in
particular Quintin and TSS. This is fantastic to see, and many give their younger oarsman a
good showing.
Safety & Welfare
Work on Chiswick Bridge has caused numerous changes to the navigation patterns
depending on where the work is taking place. Luckily there have been no serious incidents
during this period.
TL-7 (Beverley–Wandle)—Alex Brown then Chris Harrison
Nil report.
13
Deputy Chairman (South East) & TS-8 (Darenth–Medway)—Martin
Teale
Events
The Maidstone Autumn Small Boats Head in October was held on a truly beautiful Indian
summer’s day with calm waters, still winds and a full entry. A very successful event.
Sadly the Docklands Head was again cancelled this year because of forecasted high winds
which given the actual weather was the right decision.
The Greenwich Head took place in windy conditions. Initially the whole course was redboarded and it looked like there would be no race however the organisers were swift in
getting PLA approval to not only shorten the course from 6k to 3.5k but also move it
downstream finishing at the Dome.
The Maidstone Spring Small Boats Head was unfortunately cancelled due to adverse
weather.
Disappointingly Poplar Regatta was cancelled as the start pontoon for a 2000m multi lane
regatta at the London Regatta Centre was deemed unsafe and requires replacing.
Club and Regional News
The Thames and South East had a wonderfully successful day at the JIRR finishing in 8th
place out of 12. This performance combined both excellence in Kings Canterbury winning a
gold but also in greater participation across the Sub Region with crews in almost every
event. Particular thanks go to Alice Donkin of The King’s School, Canterbury for her
organisation and leadership.
Also our thanks go to Helen Taylor our area’s BR Development Coach for all the support
and help she has given us over the last few years and we wish her all the best in her new
role.
Additional water for rowing is becoming available at Conningbrook Lake near Ashford.
Awaiting contracts to be signed between the Local Authority and the Contractor and
hopefully we should have access in the New Year.
Two schools are interested in starting their own rowing clubs at the lake, Folkestone
Academy and Ashford Academy and equipment has been promised by two local clubs,
Dover and Maidstone.
14
Attendance of Regional Representatives at Sport Committee
The Region’s eight Divisional Representatives represent the various Clubs and Events on
their respective Divisions on the Regional Rowing Council. They are elected on a rolling
cycle by their divisional electorate as “Regional Representatives” under the Rules of British
Rowing and together with the Regional Chairman represent the Region and their Divisions
on the national British Rowing Council.
The following table shows the number of times each attended the Region’s Sport
Committee meetings during the year ended 30 September 2014:
Division
Chairman
TU-1
TU-2
TU-3
TU-4
TL-5
TL-6
TL-7
TL-7
TS-8
Name
Martin Humphrys
Mark Blandford-Baker
Peter Knowles
Laura Lion
Richard West
Filip Ljubicic
Luke Dillon
Alex Brown
Chris Harrison
Martin Teale
Oct-13
Attended
Absent
Attended
Attended
Attended
Attended
Attended
Attended
Absent
Jan-14
Attended
Absent
Absent
Attended
Attended
Absent
Attended
Absent
Attended
Apr-14
Attended
Absent
Attended
Attended
Absent
Attended
Attended
Attended
Absent
Jun-14
Attended
Absent
Attended
Absent
Absent
Attended
Attended
Absent
Attended
Sep-14
Attended
Absent
Attended
Attended
Absent
Attended
Attended
Attended
Attended
The following table shows the number of times each attended British Rowing Council
meetings during the year ended 30 September 2014:
Division
Chairman
TU-1
TU-2
TU-3
TU-4
TL-5
TL-6
TL-7
TL-7
TS-8
Name
Martin Humphrys
Mark Blandford-Baker
Peter Knowles
Laura Lion
Richard West
Filip Ljubicic
Luke Dillon
Alex Brown
Chris Harrison
Martin Teale
Nov-13
Attended
Attended
Attended
Attended
Attended
Absent
Absent
Absent
Attended
Feb-14
Absent
Attended
Attended
Attended
Attended
Attended
Absent
Absent
Attended
Jun-14
Attended
Absent
Attended
Attended
Absent
Absent
Attended
Absent
Absent
Sep-14
Attended
Absent
Attended
Attended
Attended
Attended
Absent
Absent
Attended
On each and every occasion a Regional Representative was not present another member of
the Region’s Sport Committee attended and voted in their stead.
15
5. Sport Committee Members’ Reports
Regional Rowing Safety Adviser—Antony Reynolds
Summary of the Year
Looking back over the year the major safety concern for the Thames Region was the high
flow rates from November through to March. The Environment Agency (EA) had Red
Boards out on the Thames for long periods of time. Due to the high flow rates even on the
Tideway, the Port of London Authority (PLA) has introduced a flag system similar to the EA
board system. I am in communication with the EA and the PLA on how clubs can get more
detailed information on flow rate so that better assessments on whether crews go out can
be made.
Incident Reports
A lot of clubs make full and proper use of the British Rowing Incident reporting system. The
system is in place to allow clubs to have a proper database of their incidents so that they
can learn from them.
A large number of incident reports involve collisions. It is for this reason the PLA was happy
to sponsor the production of some “Look Out” posters which are available for any club to
download and print at pla.co.uk/Safety/The-LOOKOUT-Campaign.
Events
I have had no issues with events submitting documentation for their events, most of which
has also been of high quality. The PLA has asked for more detail in the safety plan covering
specific risks and in particular weather and flow cancellation parameters.
Audits
Most clubs submitted their audit in on time. Hosting and hosted clubs are now getting
better at completing the audit correctly.
Acknowledgement
I would like to thank the following who regularly receive copies of the incident reports and
will when necessary do a work at a local level to make sure lessons are learnt:
Roy Prosser, Chris Davidson, Andy Crawford, Bill Mitchell, Laura Lion, Neil Jackson,
Filip Ljubicic, Luke Dillon, and Chris Sprague
16
PLA Liaison & Tideway Code of Conduct—Bill Mitchell
The relationship with the PLA continues to be good, with close liaison and cooperation. The
PLA has reorganised its harbourmaster responsibilities, resulting in their taking much more
interest in the day-to-day activities on the river. This does not affect our relationship,
although we have to be aware of other influences and responsibilities which affect them.
The worst breaches of the Code seem to come from coaches who are new to the Tideway,
or are visiting. For several years the PLA has been wanting a Tideway Endorsement for
coaches, so the Regional Rowing Safety Adviser and I have devised one which would be an
endorsement to the British Rowing (BR) coaching awards. It would be automatic for those
with appropriate Tideway experience, but would require a test for those with little or no
experience. It has been agreed with BR, and is awaiting the approval of the National Water
Safety Committee. This has, unfortunately, taken a long time and we are still awaiting their
approval. There have been several incidents involving coaches who, although highly qualified
as coaches, have demonstrated a lamentable knowledge and respect for the Tideway.
A new version of the Tideway briefing which was shown last year to all clubs has been
developed by Neil Pickford. It takes the form of a YouTube video which is now available on
the TRRC website (thames-rrc.org) or search “Tideway Code” at youtube.com, which
can be accessed by anyone who rows on the Tideway or is coming to the Tideway. Its
format allows the study of individual sectors of the Tideway, so areas which need individual
study can be seen in isolation.
The PLA were very concerned about the number of incidents with crews not keeping a
good lookout. Very attractive posters were designed, jointly funded by the PLA and TRRC,
which were sent to all clubs. They are also available on the website for anyone to download.
The PLA continues to support the Region’s efforts for enhancing safe navigation by making
safety awards to the clubs whose performance, shown by navigation and incident reports
made, penalty points awarded, and the results of a random observation programme, is best.
The clubs which won the PLA awards for the most successful clubs in 2013 were:
Joint First
Most improved club
Furnival SC
Cygnet RC
Latymer Upper School
Awarded £750
Awarded £750
Awarded £500
17
Tideway Code of Conduct for Events—Julie Watson
In the past year the Head and the Regatta codes have been ongoing.
Tideway Head Code
The use of the Tideway Regatta Code is “on going”, with all Heads taking an active part and
using the code. The code is an ongoing document that has changes & additions made as
needed. There is usually an annual meeting and this year it was held on 7/5/14. An updated
version of the Tideway Head code is available upon request. Invitations went out to: All the
Heads (usually the Chief Umpire, the Safety Advisor and the Chief Marshal); The Regional
Rowing Safety Adviser; The Chairman of the TRUC; The PLA (Darren Knight); The Coast
Guard and The RNLI. All events were represented.
Tideway Regatta Code
This is also an ongoing code with additions and amendments as required. There is one
usually one meeting taking place per year to discuss problems and any amendments that may
need to be made. An updated version is available upon request. Invitations go out to: All the
Regattas (usually the Chairman of the Race Committee or the Safety Adviser attends); The
Regional Rowing Safety Adviser; The Chairman of the TRUC; The PLA (Darren Knight); The
Coast Guard and The RNLI.
18
Chairman, Thames Regional Umpiring Committee—John Biddle
The Region currently has 106 umpires on its books as follows:
FISA
Multi-Lane Endorsed
National
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65
This number has dropped on last year due to the number of people retiring and the lower
number of new umpires and it is an area we need to keep on top of.
The Region once again had eight people interested in training this year but unfortunately a
number dropped out and several failed their written exam or did not turn up for the exam.
There seemed to be a lack of commitment when it came to learning the rules. Two did pass
and went on to train during the year and have recently passed their practical. We have
received a lot of interest for next year and hope that there will be a better response to the
written paper.
Two umpires were put forward for Multi-lane training and are to take their exam on 25
October. A number of candidates have been identified for 2015 and they are being
approached.
Two seminars were held at London RC and City of Oxford in April. Topics covered were:
 Role of TRUC
 New umpire renewal process
 Common themes from events
 Rules updates
 Umpire kit
At the end of the seminars we presented a number of certificates to new and retired
umpires.
The Committee Members continue to attend every event and give feedback to
regattas/heads where appropriate. Again this has been difficult on occasions due to the
number of events in the Thames Region. However, we covered all but one event. Once
again some events have struggled to get enough officials while others have been
oversubscribed. There has also been a vast variation in the entries for events with some
having to reduce the entries by 50% while others have struggled to get entries.
After a number of changes to the committee last year we added three more people to the
team, Peter Knowles, Elaine Green and Alison Faiers. David Biddulph retired from the
committee this Autumn after 24 years on the committee and we thank him for all, his hard
work and dedication during this time.
The set up of the committee has also been revised with specific roles for everyone, which
seems to be working much better and created more consistency in the way we do things.
We have also revised the umpire training process this year changing the format of the
written and practical exams with additional points available for attendance at training events
during the season. In addition we have upgraded all the plans and paperwork used for the
practical exam thanks to some funding from the TRRC.
19
Chairman, Junior Committee (Upriver)—Laura Lion
Summary of the Year
The year has been dominated by the difficult river conditions from December 2013 to
March 2014 with the worst flooding for 100 years. Coaches have been challenged to keep
the juniors engaged in their training whilst not being able to get out on the water. Despite
this, Thames Upriver still produced some of the best crews in the country with many
notable wins and GB appearances.
For my part I produced a simple Guide to Running a Regatta in response to requests via the
Junior Rowing Committee from regions struggling to find enough events for juniors. The
guide was subsequently picked up by British Rowing who have used it as the basis for their
online Events Organisers Manual.
Events
Over 200 juniors attended Upriver JIRR Trials which allowed us to select another strong
team who ultimately won the entire event. Henley Rowing Club’s girls have gone from
strength to strength under the guidance of a great coaching team. Not only did they form a
large part of the Thames Upriver girls’ team but they dominated all events throughout the
season, congratulations to them. Upriver Junior clubs and schools continue to win the major
junior events throughout the year and provide a large part of the GB teams. The dedication
of the athletes and their coaches is fantastic.
Clubs
Congratulations also to Robin Dowell, Head Coach of Sir William Borlase’s School who
produced another noteworthy season culminating in winning the Fawley Challenge Cup for
the second year in row and the subsequent selection to GB for some of the athletes and
Robin Dowell himself as part of the coaching team.
Safety & Welfare
There was a particularly shocking incident at an Upriver school where a coach went over a
weir trying to help J14/15 8+ caught across it in a flood stream. This focuses our minds on
how easy it is for a simple training outing to turn into an extremely dangerous situation.
Fortunately all involved were rescued but we must at all times remember to carry out risk
assessments and put safety over our desperation to get out on the water after a long winter
of floods.
20
Regional Events & Calendar Committee
As far as I am aware, the Calendar for 2014 has been followed. Inevitably some events have
been lost due to weather conditions, some being abandoned on the day, and others
cancelled prior to the day, due to the forecast of dire conditions. One or two events were
cancelled due to “managerial” problems. All events pay affiliation fees to British Rowing,
whether they take place or not.
The Region now stages ~40 days of Head Races and ~40 days of Regatta racing, nearly all on
weekends. There other events staged in the Region, such as the Boat Race, and Henley
Royal Regatta, which, while not being British Rowing events, need to be considered.
National Events staged elsewhere in the country, sometimes affect the local Calendar.
The major Head races, being staged on the Tideway, have to move their date, to suit the
state of the tide and daylight hours. With two major Heads in the Spring, and three in the
Autumn, this requires a degree of flexibility from the other events near these dates.
Since most events are now heavily dependent upon their Junior entry, there is also increased
pressure to fit events into the school calendar.
All of the above, makes it very difficult to fit any new events into a very crowded Calendar,
which varies from year to year. Nevertheless, a new event to be staged by London Youth
Rowing was given the go ahead in 2014. It did not actually take place for operational
reasons. There is also a possibility that the “Danson Dashes” may be revived in 2015. A
provisional date has been allocated although the event has yet to produce other
documentation necessary for affiliation.
I would emphasise that my role is one of co-ordination, which is defined as “to bring
together and cause to work together efficiently”. When I fail to get agreement, as happened
with a proposed Junior Fours Head, then the problem is passed to the Region’s “Events
Committee” under the chairmanship of James Lee, which then takes up the matter.
The Draft Calendar for the period 1 January 2015 to 31 March 2016 has been sent to each
event’s secretary by e-mail. The first draft was issued in July and a revised version in early
September. A final version will be issued shortly.
These drafts are sent to the National Co-ordinator, who puts together the National
Calendar. This is approved by the BR Council at their November meeting.
Tony (A.J.) Evans
Calendar Co-ordinator
for the Regional Events & Calendar Committee
21
Equipment Officer—Richard Packer
During the last year the TRRC equipment has been used at 20 regional events, one national
event (Junior Inter-Regionals) and the Henley Boat Races. Only two events were lost to the
weather. Total income from equipment hire was around £3,500. I would like to thank all
the events for their continued support.
Towards the end of the accounting year it was agreed to invest in a set of 18 handheld
radios to replace the oldest ones in the current stock together with a battery and power
supply for the “base station” radio. These should be in service shortly, and represent the
first major investment in new equipment in nearly a decade.
After nearly 8 years in this role I am standing down as Equipment Officer and wish my
replacement, Maks Orzel, every success in his new post.
22
British Rowing Participation Team Leaders—Paul Lorenzato,
Sarah Ockendon, Sharon Noble-Layng and Chris Farrell
Work Programme
The main emphasis of our work has been to meet our 2013‒2017 Whole Sport Plan (WSP)
target, The new WSP target is to bring 8,000 new people in to rowing nationally. Currently
the national membership has fallen after the Olympic effect.
We have been working closely with clubs in key programmes and others who are keen and
willing to grow in order to help us to meet this target. Paul has been giving direct coaching
support to clubs learn to row to aid this work.
The Team
Paul Lorenzato is the London and South East Area Participation Manager covering Kent,
Sussex, Hampshire, Surrey, Berkshire & Oxfordshire.
Sarah Ockendon is the South East Education and Training Manager.
Sharon Noble-Layng is the Participation Manager for Eastern Region and Buckinghamshire.
Jacqui Beer has left British Rowing and Chris Farrell is the lead on the Jubilee River Project
in Slough.
Partnerships
The team is involved in liaison with County Sports Partnerships, the Youth Sports Trust,
Sport England, Local authorities, Skills Active, School Games Organisers and NGB forum
representation.
Explore Rowing Support
Since May, Paul has been working with five clubs to run day time activity during the week
and has run a L2R instructor course which has trained four new coaches. It is hoped to
continue to expand the support to more clubs as the original clubs take over the groups.
Coach Education
2014 summary:
UKCC L2 Coaching Course—seven courses since the beginning of 2014 with 66 learners
attending.
In 2014 to date we have had 75 people attend Capsize workshops, 135 SPC and 29 FA.
Some workshops have had to be cancelled due to lack of interest.
Comments:
Since we brought in the pre-requisite workshops requirement, most of the L2 courses have
been running with lower numbers than we have had in the past. I would be grateful if
members of the Regional Rowing Council could help to promote the pre-requisite
workshop requirement wherever possible. If anyone feels unable to do this then please
discuss with me so I can explain the thinking behind it etc.
I therefore decided that it would be better to focus the last 3 months of 2014 on
encouraging people to complete pre-req workshops prior to L2 courses running from
Spring 2015. There will therefore be just one more Thames based L2 course in 2014- 9th,
15th, 22nd and 23rd November at Reading Rowing Club.
23
The GB Rowing Team coaches are running another workshop for us in Nov/Dec. High
Quality Land Training part 2 – Strong and Robust Movements. Workshops for the Thames
region are being held at Reading RC, Twickenham RC and Medway TRC.
SCT Coaches
We have two Stewards Charitable Trust Coaches working in the region. Kirsty Brown is
coaching with Staines BC and Hillingdon RC whilst studying an MSC at Brunel University.
Matt Beagley is coaching for the new Slough Jubilee River watersports centre whilst studying
for an MSC at Portsmouth University.
Club Facilities Development (with British Rowing funding)
Medway Towns RC has completed its improvements.
Jubilee River Project in Slough
The lease has been agreed with Eton College. There should be no problem with gaining
planning permission on the site either as the LA is fully behind the project.
The old canoeing building (from Eton Dorney) will be moved to the site following
renovation and will serve as the changing rooms and offices. There are some delays with
utilities for the site which means that we are now looking at having the site will be up and
running in early 2015.
Sportivate funded sessions will be run from October without facilities in place. .
There is limited funding to buy boats and safety equipment but further funds for equipment
will need to be identified.
All clubs in receipt of funding for facilities have agreed targets to increase and sustain
membership.
New Club (Not BR Funded)
Fulham Reach Rowing Club has opened and has four-part time coaches and 1 full time
member of staff and is currently running eight sessions a week for local schools. It is planned
to open the club formally in October.
24
6. Accounts
The accounts and management accounts in respect of the year ended 30 September 2014
together with the Balance Sheet as at 30 September 2014 appear on the following pages.
Accounts
The accounts have been restated in order to realign some historic anomalies in the naming
of the account lines and to present a more readily understandable picture of the Region’s
funds and financial affairs. Whilst the total for each of the three funds necessarily differs
from last year’s accounts, the surplus/deficit of course remains the same.
Although there has been a reduction in income from equipment hire compared with last
year, this continues to be the Region’s second highest source of income and enables various
activities and initiatives to be funded. In particular, part of the surplus from equipment hire
enables the Region to invite as official guests to the Annual Dinner a number of key
stakeholders from the organisations and agencies with which having a good working
relationships is of direct benefit to the Region and its rowers. At the Annual Dinner in
January 2014, the Region hosted guests from the Environment Agency, Port of London
Authority, Royal National Lifeboat Institute and British Rowing. The equipment hire surplus
also pays for a rolling replacement programme for the megaphones.
It should be noted that the British Rowing Regional Rebate for 2012‒13 (£7,591) was
received during the current year as well as the 2013‒14 Rebate (£7,374).
Once again the Region used a third of the Regional Rebate to fund all of the entry fees for
the Region’s three teams to compete at the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta and for each to
have a gazebo pitch where their team could rest between races. A further third of the
rebate was invested in a new fleet of 18 radios and associated equipment which will keep
the hire stock in good standing as a continued source of additional income for the Region.
The costs for the 2012‒13 AGM are as usual included in the present accounts. The charge
for producing the paperwork was £1,253, mainly due to the amount of paperwork that was
required to be circulated to Clubs and Events regarding the changes to our Constitution,
which we were required to make.
During the year, the Region invested a significant amount of its funds into deposit bonds in
order to generate a further modest income stream. Since February 2014 when the bonds
were opened, £209 has been accrued in interest. This is the first time in recent history that
the bank interest has exceeded the bank charges. As can been seen from the cash at bank
sheet, the maturity of the bonds is spread in order to allow appropriate access to the funds,
which also are not locked in.
Balance Sheet
The Council continues to enjoy a healthy position with net assets of £74,523, enabling it to
continue to invest in the sport in our Region.
Edward Lloyd Rees
Honorary Treasurer
25
26
27
Thames Regional Rowing Council
Management Accounts as at 30 September 2014
General Fund
Income
2013
£
A—Meetings & Hospitality
1,740
Hospitality (Annual Dinner)
77
Hospitality (Annual Dinner arrears)
1,817
Expenditure
2014
£
2013
£
1,913
0
2014
£
2,560
Hospitality (Annual Dinner)
2,960
1,054
346
978
Awards and Certificates
Meeting refreshments
General Meeting papers
Other
768
157
1,253
100
5,238
1,913
4,938
B—Water Safety
0
Water Safety - general
0
Water Safety - patrols
0
Water Safety - contingency fund
0
0
0
0
0
0
818
0
818
Water Safety - general
Water Safety - patrols
Water Safety - contingency fund
47
880
0
927
C—Umpires
0
Umpires - seminars
0
Umpires - examination materials
0
Umpires - jacket refunds
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Umpires - seminars
Umpires - examination materials
Umpires - jacket refunds
0
240
120
360
D—Training
900
Training - Level 2 courses
0
Training - grants and subsidies
0
Training - marine radio training
45
Training - courses and workshops
945
0
0
0
450
450
0
400
0
0
400
Training - Level 2 courses
Training - grants and subsidies
Training - marine radio training
Training - courses and workshops
0
0
0
450
450
E—Communications & PR
0
Communications - PR
0
Communications - website
0
Communications - miscellaneous
0
0
0
0
0
0
315
0
315
Communications - PR
Communications - website
Communications - miscellaneous
0
269
0
269
Thames Regional Rowing Council
2013
£
34019.48
32513.61
66,533.09
Cash at bank as at 30 September 2014
2014
£
Business Account
Current Account
16,853.98
Deposit A/C (instant access)
Business Money Manager A/C
Deposit Accounts
1,164.71
15,004.25
Deposit Bond (1 year)
Deposit Bond (2 year)
Deposit Bond (3 year)
Deposit Bonds
10,000.00
10,000.00
21,500.00
16,853.98
Account opened 17 February 2014
16,168.96
Account opened 19 February 2014
Account opened 19 February 2014
Account opened 19 February 2014
41,500.00
74,522.94
28
7. Register of the Year
Events
Non-Thames Region crews in composites shown in italic type.
2013 British Rowing Senior Championships
Victor Ludorum
Leander Club
O 2x
Leander Club ‘A’
O Lwt 2x
Leander Club ‘F’
O U23 2x
Leander Club ‘E’
O U23 Lwt 2x
Leander Club ‘G’
O U19 2x
Leander Club ‘H’
W 2x
Leander Club ‘A’
W Lwt 2x
Mortlake Anglian & Alpha BC/ Putney Town RC
W U23 Lwt 2x
King’s College, London/ University of London
O 4Leander Club ‘A’
O Lwt 4Leander Club ‘D’
O U23 Lwt 4Leander Club ‘E’
W 4Leander Club
O 4x
Leander Club ‘A’
O U23 4x
Leander Club ‘C’
O Lwt 4x
Leander Club ‘E’
O 8+
Leander Club
O Univ 8+
Oxford Brookes University
W 8+
Leander Club
O LTA 1x
Henley RC
O AS 1x
Royal Docks RC
2014 British Rowing Junior Championships
Victor Ludorum
Henley RC
O J14 1x
Maidenhead RC
W J14 4x+
Henley RC
O J15 1x
Tideway Scullers Sch
O J15 2x
Shiplake Vikings
W J15 2x
Globe RC
O J15 4x+
Claires Court Sch
W J15 4x+
Henley RC
W J16 1x
Tideway Scullers Sch
W J16 2Walton RC
O J16 2x
Maidenhead RC
O J16 2x
Maidenhead RC
O J 1x
Leander Club
O J 2Tideway Scullers Sch
O J 2x
Newark RC / Thames RC
W J 4Henley RC
W J 4x
George Watson’s Coll/Maidenhead RC/ St Andrew
W J 8+
Henley RC
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Junior Inter-Regional Regatta 2014
Overall: 1st Thames Upriver; 3rd Thames London; 8th Thames South East
Boys: 1st Thames Upriver; 2nd Thames London; 9th Thames South East
Girls: 1st Thames Upriver; 4th Thames London; 8th Thames South East
Henley Royal Regatta 2014
The Grand Challenge Cup: Leander Club and University of London
The Temple Challenge Cup: Oxford Brookes University ‘A’
The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup: Eton College
The Remenham Challenge Cup: Leander Club and Imperial College London
The Stewards’ Challenge Cup: Molesey Boat Club and Leander Club
The Wyfold Challenge Cup: Upper Thames Rowing Club ‘A’
The Queen Mother Challenge Cup: Leander Club and Agecroft Rowing Club
The Prince of Wales Challenge Cup: Leander Club
The Fawley Challenge Cup: Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School
The Princess Grace Challenge Cup: Leander Club and Gloucester Rowing Club
The Britannia Challenge Cup: Upper Thames Rowing Club ‘A’
Other Noteworthy Information
Henley RC (TU-2) celebrated its 175th Anniversary.
Henley Royal Regatta (not affiliated) celebrated its 175th Anniversary.
30
8. Contacting the Regional Council
Website and E-mail
The Council’s website (www.thames-rrc.org) contains a variety of information about the
Council and its activities. Officers’ email addresses may be found under the Council
Information section.
Mail
Officers may be contacted using the following address:
The Thames Regional Rowing Council
c/o British Rowing
6 Lower Mall
London W6 9DJ
Meetings of Council
Council Meetings are planned for the following dates for the 2014/15 year:
Friday, 30 January 2015—Executive Board and Sport Committee, Annual Dinner
Monday, 16 March 2015—Executive Board and Sport Committee
Wednesday, 13 May 2015—Executive Board and Sport Committee
Monday, 14 September 2015—Executive Board and Sport Committee
Wednesday, 21 October 2015—Executive Board and Sport Committee
Wednesday, 25 November 2015—Annual General Meeting
.
The Thames Regional Rowing Council
c/o British Rowing
6 Lower Mall
London W6 9DJ
www.thames-rrc.org
31