We are Exeter Canoe Club and we've got a great project at Turf locks to provide a pontoon for kayakers, canoeists and stand up paddleboarders to get from the Turf pub garden to the estuary. We've raised £6,000 of the £10,000 costs and need to find donations for the rest.
If you've paddled at Turf you'll know how muddy it can be, and this project will solve the nightmare of trying to climb the very muddy bank, or falling into the exit channel from the lock. The pontoon will be located near to the Turf lock on the exit channel into the estuary. The pontoon will be around 3 metres long and will be connected to the Turf garden by a ramp with a handrail, and include fixings to secure the pontoon in the water.
This project will pair with the launch point above Turf locks for paddling on the canal up to Exeter.
Our grants so far have come from the Canoe Foundation (£5,000) and Exeter Canoe Club (£1,000), plus some donations from private individuals. Exeter City Council is providing the design and will be applying for the necessary permissions. We need to demonstrate our matched funding by 31 December, so do please support us soon.
The photo shown is an example of the type of pontoon that will be used.
Community impact
Exeter Canal is one of the premier paddling locations in the country, suitable for introducing new participants to the sport. The canal offers a superb 10 mile round trip of paddling down the river to Turf and back up the canal, or in the other direction, according to the tides. The one issue is that there isn't an easy launch point to enable people to go from the Turf garden onto the water of the estuary. The bank is very steep and usually covered in thick glutinous mud.
The project is to solve the launching problem by providing a small pontoon to enable paddlers to launch or land between the water and the land.
How you can play your part
There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.
1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!
2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.