Oxford Amateur Rowing Foundations of new Boathouse

Aim: The foundations of a new boathouse: Site surveys, architectural designs, planning fees, and ground works.

Thank you!

Thank you for your support to our generous donors and to Sports England who have pledged £10,000 towards our cause! 

20 years rowing at Oxford!

We are the Oxford Amateur Rowing Club, formerly the Oxford Academicals Rowing Club, but fondly known as the Accies. We are a friendly, community-focused rowing club based in Oxford. We row on a stretch of the River Thames that passes through Oxford and we race across the UK. We welcome adult members of all rowing standards, ages, and fitness levels.

Crowdfunding for growth!

Our 100 members are limited by our current facilities. We need a larger modern boathouse to deliver a high-quality rowing experience to the people of the city of Oxford and beyond. Our current boathouse (pictured below) will soon no longer be available (due to change of ownership) and we must move swiftly!

Over the past year we have been scouting all land options on the Thames in Oxford and are now working with land-owners and planners for a long-term secure location to erect a new boathouse over a two phase, multi-year plan.

Initial phase: where will funds be spent

We will spend the £30k raised on the first essential steps for a new boathouse:

• planning fees
• architect designs
• surveys fees
• and initial ground preparation works

The project is managed by Accies volunteers, who are professional experts themselves. We are working with the landlords of 2 suitable sites on the Thames in Oxford, finalising the site shortly!

Funds raised above our target will go to building a temporary boathouse on the 2 phase, multi-year vision for our club.

Total budget

The overall boathouse project is budgeted at £750k and will run for the next 2-3 years. Funds from this campaign will complement capital which the club is raising from large donors and other sources.

Live event!

What a memorable weekend this was! We exhibited at the Westgate shopping centre at Oxford on Saturday 6 & Sunday 7 April 2024. 

The public had the opportunity to see up close a racing 8+ and a single. We discussed rowing and many people (of all ages and fitness) declared interest in our Learning to Row. The kids jumped on the rowing machines, while our own Mark Henstridge rowed a Marathon in just over 3 hours!

Community impact

Accies has rapidly grown as a club in recent years. We run flexible squad-based training which reflects our inclusive community and helps make rowing accessible to as many people as possible. We cater for a wide range of personal ambitions, from regular racing to occasional exercise. We also hold annual "learn to row" courses each summer to help new people join the rowing community. We run regular social events. 

We are a registered charity and  keep our membership fees as low as possible to ensure that we can welcome people from all walks of life across Oxford, including a hardship fund to assist members.

Endorsements!

We are honoured to be endorsed by Constantine Louloudis (Rio 2016 gold medal), Alan Meegan (British Rowing, facilities manager), Vassilis Ragousis (Oxford Blue, Henley winner and living in Oxford), John Ewans (Active Tools founder and Accies women coach).

Training!

The club is organised in Women's, Men's, and Development squads, each organised by their Captains. Crews are defined every week for several coached sessions every week, depending on availability and preparation towards racing.

There is a proposition for every rowing competency level and ambition, including indoor rowing tank technical focus.

Seville training camp!

Every year, many Accies, of all standards, migrate to southern climates for a week of rowing, more rowing, sightseeing and fun!

Racing!

Both women and men squads are actively racing throughout the year, from local Oxford regattas to national and international races (notably weHoRR and menHoRR). Crews are selected for each event and train together for the occation.

Social calendar

Rowing is a squad sport and social interaction is very much weaved in the fabric of Accies! We organise a summer party and a Christmas party, both well attended and open to friends of the club. We meet for drinks at least once per month and after most races we participate at. We connect, talk about the joys and challenges of rowing and life in general. In Accies you will find an amazingly strong and vibrant community of friends!

How you can play your part

There are five simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge. Whether it's £10 or £1,000 or more (!), we're grateful for any step that helps us get closer to our goal of securing a permanent club home. 

2. Sponsor. Could you connect us with a company willing to be a sponsor for our club? We would carry their logo on our website. 

3. Spread the word. The more people who know about us, the more chance we have of reaching our target, so please share our crowdfunding page on social media. 

4. Offer. Could your business make a donation of rewards we can offer our funders? We will give you a shout out!

5. Fundraise for us. If you have an idea for fundraising on our behalf – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!

                  THANK YOU!