Hard work from Juniors secure St Neots Rowing Club brand new boat
This weekend saw the launch of a new boat at St Neots Rowing Club and a welcome addition to Junior rowing across the county.
Two juniors, Josh Dexter & Huw Jarman, managed to secure a generous grant to purchase a new double sculls boat for St Neots Rowing Club, which would enable more youngsters in the area to take up the sport.
A grant of £6,500 was earned from Young Lives, an organisation supporting voluntary and community organisations working with Children & Young People across Cambridgeshire.
After a long application, the boys were selected to present their proposal to a youth panel at an Instant Grant Giving Day, where at the end of the evening they would be told if they were successful. After great preparation, the event had to be cancelled due to bad weather but the lads, with their usual competitive spirit would not be beaten and produced their presentation on PowerPoint and e-mailed it.
After a few nail biting days, Huw & Josh learnt that as a result of their presentation, they have been granted £2500 towards the new boat. The youth panel were also so impressed by their presentation that they had requested for any outstanding funds following the Instant Grant day to go towards Josh & Huw’s project.
In January this year, St Neots Rowing Club was delighted to learn that as a result of the boy’s hard work, Young Lives had decided to award the remaining £4,000 needed to buy the double scull outright. To celebrate this, on Sunday 19th of June 2011 the new boat was launched in an official naming ceremony, with over 100 people turning up to see the new boat named in style by Martyn Rooney, Club Chairman.
The boat was named ‘JK’ after long-standing club member John Knights, much to his surprise! John has been a tremendous support to the club over the years, not only having rowed but always at the club to maintain boats, tow the trailer and to lend support whenever & wherever needed. It was only fitting that the boat be named in his honour.
After a champagne launch, Josh & Huw then took the boat for it’s inaugural row on the river, applauded by all those there.
You can see the new St Neots boat in action on Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th July when over 50 clubs from all over the country descend on St Neots for the annual regatta: a fun-packed weekend the annual with two days of great racing.
Photos attached show Huw & Josh with John Knights, whom the new boat ‘JK’ was named after.
One image also features Lori Dexter, Josh’s Grandmother & an instrumental part in this story, having discovered the grant in the first place.
All photography to be credited to Mr Mick Staddon.
