FRBC awarded World Rowing Programme of the Year!

CEO Adam Freeman-Pask expressed pride in the recognition, stating, “This award is a testament to the dedication of our rowers, coaches, and volunteers. We are committed to making rowing a force for good, inspiring the next generation, and breaking down barriers to access.”

FRBC’s recent achievements include financial stability, partnerships with 14 schools, expansion of Boats Not Bars post release, a diverse coaching team with 60% women, and the introduction of adaptive rowing for visually impaired participants. The club’s environmental efforts, such as water quality testing, electric low CO2 coaching boat, and removing over 500 kg of litter from the Thames, further demonstrate its holistic approach to community engagement.

You catch up on the World Rowing Awards presentation here (FRBC feature at 60min).

FRBC World Rowing Award acceptance speech:

On behalf of everyone at our charity Fulham Reach Boat Club I would like to thank the World Rowing Award judges for recognising the impact we are having on people's lives through our beautiful sport. All this wouldn’t be possible without our amazing coaches, staff, volunteers and trustees, who dedicate themselves to our charity work.

In London, where Fulham Reach is based, we are busy, tirelessly working away 24/7 with people that wouldn’t normally get the opportunity to enjoy this amazing sport.  In an area where there is a range of social inequalities such as a vast gulf between affluence and poverty. We strive to create opportunities for people from underserved backgrounds. Such as women and girls, underrepresented ethnic groups, people on lower incomes, young people with special educational needs and might have been excluded from school, people that have been convicted of a crime and are looking to rebuild their lives, as well as more recently, disabled people and particularly those with visual impairment and sight loss. Not only that, we also strive to be a force for good in the local community by opening our doors to other charities that all help us build strong connections with our community. The environmental crisis is an urgent topic that crosses the community, and we have stepped up to help take a proactive role here in restoring our river and mitigating our own impact on the environment, be that clearing rubbish from the river, monitoring the water quality to highlight the issues of sewage pollution or converting our coaching boat fleet to electric power.

For us at Fulham Reach all these areas of youth development, crime reduction and rehabilitation, opportunities for disabled people and protecting our environment is where the power of sport lies, and we believe rowing is the perfect sport to help transform lives. 

From my own journey as an athlete, I know all athletes chase the elusive gold medal but remember these tarnish and fade over time.  At Fulham Reach we are after the gold medal that lasts eternally.  

FRBC in the Press:

• World Rowing Awards article: https://worldrowing.com/2024/11/10/the-2024-world-rowing-award-winners-are-revealed/ 
• British Rowing article on World Rowing Awards: https://www.britishrowing.org/2024/11/lauren-rowles-and-gregg-stevenson-crowned-para-crew-of-the-year-at-world-rowing-awards/  
• Marca article on World Rowing Awards: https://www.marca.com/otros-deportes/2024/11/09/sevilla-premia-leyendas-remo-mundial.html 
• Marca World Rowing Awards gallery: https://www.marca.com/otros-deportes/album/2024/11/10/todos-premiados-world-rowing-awards.html