Who We ArRRRre...
The Pirate Castle's London's longest-running community boating charity. We've been flying the flag for opportunity and adventure on the Regent's Canal since 1966. From our fully-accessible base in the heart of bustling Camden Town, we promote learning, life chances and healthy living through a raft of paddlesport, canal boating, training and volunteer initiatives.
From humble beginnings as a kids' rowing club almost 60 years ago, we’ve transformed our stretch of the canal from an under-used resource to a thriving hub of activity and inclusivity, providing low-cost and free activities for all - including specialist projects for young people, disability, SEMH (social, emotional and mental health needs), elders and LGBTQ+ groups and communities most in need. We also partner with schools, voluntary and support organisations from across London to broaden our reach and maximise our impact. Today, over 4,000 people access our services each year!
We're proud that our accessible widebeam, ‘Pirate Prince’, is the only canal boat in central London that can be operated by wheelchair users and people with severe mobility restrictions, thanks to its state-of-the-art joystick control and hydraulic steering platform.
As the only Paddle UK-affiliated club and National Community Boats Association operator / training centre in Camden, we provide unique opportunities for people to discover London’s waterways, gain skills, make connections and improve their health, wellbeing and wider prospects – regardless of ability or circumstance.
A Perfect Storm - Why We Need YOUR HELP
With the cost-of-living crisis biting hard, it's no longer only the most vulnerable in our communities who're struggling to make ends meet, let alone access the services which make a positive difference to their lives. Tough decisions on how to cover the daily basics are now a stark reality for over 70% of the individuals, families and groups using our services - putting our low-cost and concessionary rates increasingly beyond their means. As a result, even more people across our communities risk being priced out from the activities they depend upon for their physical, mental and social wellbeing.
At the same time, after fighting hard to survive and come back stronger after the pandemic, our small (but mighty!) charity's barely treading water during these challenging financial times. Together with our utility bills trebling over the past 18 months, costs for running and maintaining our venue and boat fleet and delivering our projects continue to surge, making it harder to keep The Pirate Castle afloat and do more to support our communities when they need us most.
Nobody should be priced out of life-enriching activities at The Pirate Castle. Please help FLOAT (Fulfilling Lives: Opportunity, Activities & Training) our boats and throw a lifeline to struggling families & communities. Every doubloon and piece of eight matters - please give as generously as you can!
Examples of how your donation will help us FLOAT:
- £10 funds a place at one of our weekly Upperdeckers sessions for the over 50s;
- £30 funds a young person to join our school Holiday Scheme for a day's fun, learning & adventure on the water;
- £50 funds a block of 10 x sessions for a young person to join our after-school or Saturday 'Pirate Club';
- £100 funds an instructor to help deliver a day's community paddlesport projects;
- £250 funds a 3-hour cruise on our accessible canal boat for disability / SEMH groups, families in hardship & small voluntary support groups;
- £500 funds Paddle UK instructor training & assessment for 6 of our youth paddlesport volunteers;
- £1,000 funds a year's waterways licence for our fully-accessible canal boat;
- £5,000 funds a month's wages for our Canal Activity Leaders, who're vital to delivering our raft of community projects, training & volunteer initiatives.
Thank you!! Your donation will make a huge difference!
You can also help by using our venue, canal boating and paddlesport services and spreading the word across your family, friends and networks. Every penny raised through venue and facilities hire helps subsidise our charity's projects and running costs.
Learn more about our amazing charity on our website, or read on to see how The Pirate Castle helps people FLOAT (Fulfilling Lives: Opportunity, Learning, Activities & Training).
Canal Boating
All of our canal boat trips are voyages of opportunity, discovery and learning. A founding member and affiliated training centre for the National Community Boats Association, we offer accredited boat management and crew courses for service users, volunteers and the wider community. Most of our boat trips are run by our fantastic team of volunteer skippers and crew, all of whom are trained in-house by our Boat Manager and Development Manager.
Our 'Camden Community Cruises' project enables passengers of all abilities to take to the water and get involved with the practicalities of boating. ‘Black Pearl’, our traditional narrowboat, is perfect for day cruises and boat handling training. ‘Pirate Prince’, our purpose-built, fully accessible widebeam opens up the canal to special needs and disability groups and easily converts to sleep up to 10 people + crew for residential trips further afield.
Gliding through the canal's nature-rich blue space provides a refreshing break from life's challenges and lets people enjoy a more tranquil side of London's bustling inner-city, giving them time to reflect and unwind. Our groups also gain a deeper appreciation of – and respect for – the waterway and its unique heritage, ecology and habitats.
Paddlesport
Our amazing team of Paddle UK instructors, coaches and trained volunteers are passionate about sharing their paddling skills and helping people gain confidence, skills and formal accreditations on the water. Our paddlesport projects include Holiday Schemes for local kids, term-time after school and weekend 'Pirate Club' youth sessions, ‘Upperdeckers’ sessions for the over 50s, 'Paddle Camden' adult sessions and 'Rainbow Paddlers' - currently the UK's first and only weekly paddle club run by and for the LGBTQ+ community. We also provide heavily-discounted services for visiting schools, youth and community groups - along with free activities for people most in need.
We see first-hand how paddling can be a powerful force for good by nurturing life skills, broadening horizons and improving health, wellbeing and togetherness. Our range of training, mentoring and Paddle UK accreditation pathways also enable our paddlers to further develop on-the-water, leadership, safety and coaching skills, opening up opportunities for project design and delivery, wider community action and employment.
Volunteering
We rely on our incredible volunteer crew to help run our canal boating and paddlesport projects and ensure that our service users are safe, supported and get the most out of their time with us. As a Paddle UK-affiliated club and National Community Boats Association training centre we offer a range of volunteering initiatives, formal accreditation and coaching / mentoring pathways for ages 14+, enabling people from all walks of life to get involved, learn new skills and help others enjoy the unique benefits of boating and being on the waterway.
Our five Trustees also volunteer their time to oversee strategy, finance and governance to keep The Pirate Castle shipshape.
Community Centre
Built in 1977 to replace our original club-house barge, our iconic castle home also provides fully-accessible, affordable community spaces overlooking the Regent's Canal. These are used by a wide range of charities and support groups, local residents and businesses for projects and events, training and activity sessions, celebrations, conferences, team building days – and more.