ANNUAL REPORT 2007

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Laburnum Boat Club’s 2007 Annual Report.

The Club has been in operation now for 24 years (it opened in October 1983) and we are pleased to report that it is still going strong. Our aim is to encourage and enable local children, young people and their families to join in the activities, to discover the world of boating, to take some exercise, meet other people, and enjoy themselves. The emphasis is much about “inclusion” – making sure that everyone can participate regardless of ability. To this end our work with young people with disabilities remains a high priority.

The achievement of the year is undoubtedly the expedition to India, organised and led by Beth. This was a huge and daunting undertaking, but one with enormous rewards for all concerned. A number of the young people have been with us from an early age, and this trip was the next (large) step in their personal development and experience of the world. They have acquired skills and experiences that will greatly assist them in their careers and personal lives.

Notable also was the opening of the Bridge Academy (temporarily in Haggerston Park). The first intake of 187 local eleven year olds arrived in September, taking canoeing as part of their PE curriculum in the first half-term. The school will have an enormous beneficial impact on the Club in the years to come. We will develop close links and joint working arrangements. Construction of the school building next door continues apace and will be opening in September 08.

Looming over us in the next couple of years is our own re-development. Our existing changing facilities are hopelessly small, limiting what we can do, and consequently we are planning to design and build a new, larger Club Hut. We submitted an application to the Big Lottery Fund in April and are hoping for substantial progress on this next year.

Generally we are in good shape and are confident going into our 25th year that we can move the Club forward, and continue to offer a unique and challenging service to local people. Many thanks are due to our funders and donors for their generous (and wise) support over the year. Secondly, thanks also, to all our volunteers, M/C members, and of course staff (most of whom have come through the ranks as Club members) who have all worked hard and uncomplaining throughout the year.

Jim Armstrong
Club Co-ordinator

CONTENTS

Youth Club
Inclusion
Thursday Club
Narrowboats
Youth Watersports Training Project
London to Leh (Expedition)
Schools
Adult Canoe Club
Family Club
In Short . . .
Staff and Management Committee

YOUTH CLUB

The Youth Club at Laburnum is open to young people aged 9-19 two evenings a week and every Saturday during term-time and Monday to Friday during the school holidays. It costs £1 per session or £20 for the year and has run 173 sessions this year, as well as 6 residentials:

• Kayaking on the River Dart, Devon
• Sea kayaking in Essex
• An international trip to Ladakh in India
• A multi-activity week in Bude, Cornwall
• Kayaking in the Highlands of Scotland
• Open boating in the Lea Valley

Every session there is canoe and kayak coaching, games and races. Additionally this year there has been: art workshops; narrowboating; cycling trips; a “Drugs and Alcohol” workshop; bowling; swimming; raft building; rock climbing; smoothie making and ice-skating. Members have also gained Jack Petchy Achievement Awards, British Canoe Union 1, 2, and 3 Star Awards, Canoe Safety Tests and First Aid certificates, which are all nationally recognised.

All in all 2007 has been a year of change. The first trip of the year was in March to the River Dart, in Devon, which produced many smiles but unlike most years had enough water to work on moving water skills. In June members of the Club represented Hackney at the London Youth Games in the kayak slalom event and for the first time Laburnum entered two teams in the cycling event.

The Club was as hectic as ever over the summer and there was a buzz about the weeklong trip, surfing and rock climbing in Bude and for the first ever Laburnum trip outside Europe, to India. The opening of The Bridge Academy has been long awaited and in the first few days of our 6-week Summer Project all of the new students were introduced to the Club with kayaking and narrowboating activities. The end of the Summer Project saw a coach of 46 people going to Chessington World of Adventures for a fun filled day of thrills and excitement, followed by our annual pilgrimage to Bude in Cornwall, which is an amazing opportunity for the young people to get away from Hackney as well as experience new activities. Despite the poor weather the staff had to work hard to drag the team out of the sea and back to Hackney. All twelve did themselves proud and were great ambassadors for the Club.

Now the nights are drawing in and the temperature is dropping, but still the young people come to the Club. Is it the pull of kayaking, meeting friends, trips, the great staff team or getting access to the only bit of greenery for miles around that does it? We’re not sure! Finally I would like to say a big congratulations and thank you: to all young people for coming to the Club and making it such a great place, to all the staff for their hard work and enthusiasm and to the sponsors who support us and help us all to have the best little boat club around.

Dominic Hinshelwood
Senior Youth Worker

INCLUSION

Inclusion is not a ‘Project’ but an essential Club strategy to ensure that children and young people with disabilities are enabled and encouraged to use all of the Club services. They are introduced to the Club at two Sports Clubs and access mainstream Youth Club sessions through our Splashmates Project, where they are buddied up with able-bodied members, and extra support staff are on hand if needed. The Sports Clubs started 2007 at full capacity and although it was cold we had exciting sessions from climbing to bowling, narrow boating to basketball. Easter quickly arrived and after a week at the Club we left Hackney and visited Halls Green Outdoor Activity Centre for four days of adventure and independence. The young people helped to prepare meals, organised themselves for activities and also had fun taking part. The centre was great and the staff coped well considering that it is not designed specifically for people with disabilities. It was a great few days and we are looking forward to going back next Easter with the help of funding raised by parents and members of the Sports Clubs, who again took part in the Hyde Park 5K run in September 2007.

The summer came round quickly after our residential and so did more young people. Four new members with disabilities attended the Youth Club over the summer as well as 14 existing members of the Sports Clubs. The Sports Club also had a two day residential on a narrowboat, on the River Stort. This was a lovely trip and we really enjoyed living on the boat and travelling along the river in no rush at all! The last week of the holidays is set aside for the Youth Club residential to Bude in Cornwell and due to their determination and hard work two members of the Sports Club went along too. One had to fight many of his fears to attend the trip, which he managed to do as he was so keen to go. While away they both had difficulties but the group worked together and it was a learning experience for both the young people with disabilities and the Youth Club members. Two older members with disabilities also went on the expedition to India.

In September the Sports Clubs came back to more water activities, including bell boating and kayaking and now the weather has changed we have headed indoors, with activities including wonderful creative sessions at the Geffrye Museum, swimming and hall games. We are still at full capacity and are once again looking forward to the panto and our Christmas party! Finally I would like to say a big thank you to all the funders, supporters, staff and volunteers who have worked with us. The Project is enabling all its members to grow and learn in a safe environment.

Mrs. Gemma Furse
Inclusion Officer

THURSDAY CLUB

This is a weekly canoeing and narrowboating Club for adults with mental health issues. It is a vital resource for this section of the community, which provides leisure on the canal, exercise and informal social meetings. 2007 has been a busy year for this Club, with a full narrowboat almost every week and good numbers for kayaking. Narrowboating is always more popular than the kayaking and for the first time some of the narrowboat courses were oversubscribed. This year we have also awarded more certificates than any ever with three RYA Inland Helms, ten NB certificates, nine kayak certificates and three 1 Star certificates. Congratulations to all those that attend the Club and many thanks to those that support the Club.

Dominic Hinshelwood
Senior Youth Worker

NARROWBOATS

Our two narrowboats, the Lady Mildmay and Opportunity, provide trips for youth, community, education and welfare groups from around Hackney and beyond. There were over two hundred trips this year (both half and full-day) on the Regents Canal and River Lea. Each boat can take 12 passengers and the Lady Mildmay is fully wheelchair accessible. All trips are helmed by a qualified and experienced skipper and the aim is to provide an interesting, challenging and safe boating experience for all. They are available throughout the year and are busy seven days a week in the summer. User groups include schools, youth clubs, day centres, nurseries, old people homes, faith groups, hosing associations, Veteran’s Associations, Historical Societies etc.

Laburnum’s Clubs also make full use of boats: The Family Club runs trips every Sunday, for families to discover the canal and spend quality time together; the Sports Clubs for young people with disabilities and the Youth Club often have trips, with Victoria Park being a particular favourite; and the Thursday Club for adults with mental health issues trains its members in helming up to RYA Inland standard and even hired the Red Watch, a wide beam narrowboat, for a residential in the spring. They are also an integral feature of the Schools Canal Study Project, enabling pupils to find out about the canal and taking them through the Tunnel to the Canal Museum.

The boats are also popular at festivals and boat rallies and this year ran trips for local people at the Laburnum Street Party; the Canal Cavalcade at Little Venice; the Angel Canal Festival and the Shoreditch Festival. We also ran trips for the Olympic Delivery Authority on the Bow Back rivers, giving a great view of the new site. Many thanks to the skippers who have diligently and consistently taken the trips and provided much enjoyment to the participants, and to Lee and Roger who have maintained them and kept them running.

Jim Armstrong
Club Co-ordinator

YOUTH WATERSPORTS TRAINING

The YWTP is a free employment training scheme for 16-25 year olds interested in becoming watersports instructors. It was set up to assist the disaffected young people we meet who struggle at school or who need extra support to get them into employment and adulthood.

Despite a lack of funders at the start of 2007 a basic curriculum continued, with courses including a RLSS pool lifeguard course from which three trainees subsequently got work in swimming pools; a British Canoe Union Canoe Safety Test, 3 Star Award and Level 2 Coach Training course. The YWTP is fully funded for 2008, by Team Hackney and the Jack Petchey Foundation and a full and exciting new time-table is being rolled out. This has come at a time when the Club is seeing a large number of young people struggling into adulthood and who will truly benefit from the YWTP. Not all will become watersports instructors, but they will gain increased confidence, motivation, advice and support. Courses in 2008 will also include the new BCU UKCC coaching system, which is more complex and costly than the current system, but will increase employability. Although not directly part of the YWTP the youth expedition to India took the ethos and expertise from the Training scheme, and all the young people on the trip were either past, present or prospective Trainees. The trip and following lecture tour will also be a good advert for the YWTP.

Beth Ettinger
Deputy Co-ordinator

LONDON TO LEH

In 2006 members of the Youth Club asked about the possibility of a major expedition. After some deliberation the idea of attempting the First Youth Descent of the Zanksar Gorge (the ‘Grand Canyon of India’) was agreed upon and a group of young people from Laburnum, the West Reservoir Centre, Islington Boat Club and Canalside were hand picked and set about the daunting task of raising the £24,000 needed to go; organising flights, insurance, inoculations, visas; getting equipment sponsorship and undertaking safety training. It took a year of work from the team and many man-hours donated by Laburnum Boat Club before the group of 11 young people and 3 members of staff were ready to go (including a sponsored 47mile paddle around London which raised £7,000 alone). The aims of the trip were 3 fold:
• To do the First Youth Descent of the Zanskar by kayak and raft.
• To increased the personal development of all involved (developing teamwork, communication, organisational, written and presentation skills).
• To be a motivational tool for other young people, with the production of a lecture tour to show what you can achieve.

In August the group left Laburnum and flew to Ladakh in Kashmir, Northern India. They spent two days acclimatising and had a one day warm-up on the Indus River followed by a three-day drive. After passing numerous glaciers, peaks and 4,500m passes they finally made it to the start of the Zanskar River. They spent 5days descending the river, with 3days in the gorge.
The group were supported by two local raft companies and included a GB freestyle kayak team member as a guide. Nothing could have prepared them for the breath-taking 300 metre sheer-sided canyon cliffs that awaited them, or the warmth, curiosity and beauty of the local children, who waved from the side of the river and visited the camp. The size of the river itself was also unimaginable, being as wide as the Thames in parts, and reducing down to 5m wide turbulent gaps in others, as well as including 5ft waves and raft size boils. On 31st August the group emerged from the gorge, tired and dirty but successful in their attempt to become the first youth group to complete the arduous trip.

Since their return the group have made a presentation about their experiences, to take to schools, youth clubs and watersports centres. They aim to inspire and motivate other young people to get active and get involved. The group would like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who made this amazing trip possible, including all the sponsors, especially Dagger and Palm, Drakes, PHS and the Gordon Foundation.

Beth Ettinger
Deputy Co-ordinator

SCHOOLS

2007 has been a bumper year for schools accessing activities at Laburnum. Once again we offered 6-week kayak courses as part of the PE curriculum, narrowboat trips and School Canal Study sessions, where whole classes use the Club site, narrowboats and expertise to find out about the canal, its history and environs. From Easter to October the Schools Project was busy nearly everyday with local primary and secondary schools making use of the activities. As well as an increase in numbers, notable this year was the attendance of several classes from autistic units who found the calming nature of the activities and the dedication of our staff team very useful. The biggest addition to the Schools Project this year, however, has to be the opening of the Bridge Academy, who not only brought their Year 7 groups to Laburnum for team building and taster sessions over the summer but also introduced their pupils to Laburnum with a kayak course in their very first weeks at the school. With new funding from UBS and SportsMatch we hope that the Schools Project will continue to grow and prosper in 2008 and we look forward to working with even more pupils and teachers from local schools.

FAMILY CLUB

The Family Club runs every Sunday during time, offering canoeing and narrowboating for local families to learn and spend vital time together. It is the perfect opportunity for young children to experience Laburnum’s activities and is a great opportunity for parents to get involved.

This year the Club has continued in its development. Forty-nine families have attended over the year, and in most cases have left happy and enthused. An increased number of families have also chosen to continue on a six-week programme of development and have worked towards nationally recognised certificates of competence. In June the Club held an Open Day in conjunction with the Laburnum Street Party, which again proved extremely successful, seeing more than 300 people visit the Club in their family units. In 2008 the Family Club is preparing to expand its facilities and program, recruiting local volunteers to assist in its operations on Sundays and provide further activities for local families.

ADULT CANOE CLUB

The Adult Canoe Club is aimed at local parents and adults of all abilities and is open every Wednesday evening. Attendances have been high this year with over fifty people becoming members, some wish to concentrate on fitness, others work towards coaching qualifications and some just enjoy the social activity. The Club prides itself on its warm and friendly atmosphere, with regular social gatherings. We all enjoyed the polo competition and BBQ at the West Reservoir Centre in the summer and hope to hold more events. Additionally this year the Club has benefited from an increased in trips to moving water, including to the Thames; a kayak surfing trip to Bude in Cornwall and to the River Dart in Devon. Quarterly Pool sessions also greatly helped some individuals in their personal development.

Owen Varley
Community Sports Coach

IN SHORT IN 2007:

• We worked with over 65 children and young people with disabilities, including in our Sports Clubs for Young People with Disabilities, in the Youth Club through our Splashmates progamme and in our Schools Programme.
• The YWTP provided 11 national governing body courses to local 16- 25 year olds, improving their employability and motivation.
• The Schools Project worked with over 500 pupils from 9 local primary and secondary schools.
• The Lady Mildmay and Opportunity ran over 200 narrowboat trips for youth, community and welfare groups.
• The Adult Canoe Club, Thursday Club and Family Club worked with 154 local adults, giving them access to the canal, exercise and quality learning time together.
• The London to Leh project raised £24,000 and took 11 inner-city young people on a once-in-a-life time expedition to India, where they completed the first ever youth descent of the Zanskar Gorge.

STAFF TEAM		MANAGEMENT	COMMITTEE
Co-ordinator	Jim Armstrong	Chair	Pat Hammill
Deputy Co-ordinator	Beth Ettinger	Vice Chair	Julian Putkowski
Admin officer	Jan Dorling	Treasurer	Kumar Kotecha
Senior Youth Worker	Dominic Hinshelwood	Secretary	Jo Panter
Community Sports Coach	Owen Varley	Members	Gina Ferri
Youth Work Team	Jenny Henri		Vikki Matten
	Fabian Bunting		Dina Jung
	Danny Ward		Anne Crickett
	Stephanie Smythe		Andrew Smith
	Richard Francis		Bruce Logan
	YuShing Tang		Janice Etheridge
	Rukan Beckwirth		Bryan Farrow
Inclusion Worker	Gemma Furse		Julia Christie
Inclusion Team	Syreeta Stabana		Jodie Williams
	Steve Smythe		Kate Cullinan
	Dominque Dunne		Paul Cullinan
	Linda Charman		Steve Smythe
	Gregory Logan
Narrowboat Skippers	Jamie Marshal
	Christoper Reay
	Bernard James
	Chris Smythe
N/B Maintenance	Lee Payne
& Website	Roger Glover
Cleaner	Stephen Fenton

The Laburnum Boat Club would like to thank all its funders and partners for their support and help in making 2007 such an active and enjoyable year, including: the Big Lottery; The Jack Petchey Foundation; London Borough of Hackney; BBC Children in Need; Shoreditch Trust; Malcolm Elgin Trust; The Learning Trust; Sport England; Help A London Child; Lloyds TSB Foundation

The Laburnum Boat Club is a community-based Watersports centre on the Regents Canal in Hackney, set up over twenty years ago by local parents. It is aimed at local young people and their families and runs a range of services and projects throughout the year. The main activities are canoeing, narrowboating and trips away. The Club is a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee and is funded from a range of sources including charitable trusts, regeneration programmes and the local authority. The Management Committee is elected annually at the Annual General Meeting.