Hexham high school fundraising for better rowing equipment

On Saturday June 22, the rowing club from Queen Elizabeth High School will taking part in a sponsored row to help raise some much needed funds to invest in better equipment and repairs.

Each crew will be rowing 50km, which equates to 71 lengths of our beautiful stretch of Tyne from Tyne Green. They are hoping to raise £15,000, having already brought in close to £4,000 via their JustGiving page.

The QE rowing club is one of only two state school rowing clubs in the country and is entirely self-funded. There are some outstanding rowers in the club along with a team of dedicated coaches and volunteers, who help to provide the kids with amazing opportunities and experiences, competing at the highest levels nationally. 

The QE rowing club has been running for over 40 years now and it has enjoyed incredible success on the national and international stage, including Olympians Matt and Pete Wells who have recently supported this event with a donation.

QEHS said: "Rowing as a sport is incredibly rewarding, developing physical fitness but also important life skills such as dedication, commitment and teamwork and it's a sport where, in it's simplest form, physical fitness plus technique, equals speed!

"However the sport does require an array of equipment, from winter training on the club ergs, to the boats (seating one, two, four or eight rowers) the carbon fibre oars, the performance tracking GPS equipment and all the paraphernalia to enable us to attend races such as the trailers and minibuses. Investing in new equipment, whilst maintaining our current fleet is of vital importance.

"With all of these needs and the ongoing support from our dedicated coaching team comes cost, and this is where our 85 talented young rowers are keen to play their part and encourage you to support them - it's the least we can do for them."

The school is inviting local people to donate online and come down to the Tyne Green on Saturday.