By Joe Townsend
The Falcon Boat Club has opened its newly constructed boathouse situated alongside the Oxford Thames, locally known as the Isis, thanks to fundraising and local community funding, in a further step towards being one of the city’s most vital sports clubs.
Kayak coach and Chair of Trustees at the Falcon Boat Club, Nick Barnett, showed Sport Local Action around the boathouse and told me, Joe Townsend, about the hurdles the club has overcome in order to raise funding to create a clubhouse befitting an institution of their importance, making do with a ramshackle shed for what felt like multiple lifetimes.
In order to make the project a reality, the club decided to become a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO), instead of running their charity and business as separate entities. This helped develop a more holistic management of the club. It was then decided that to generate funding they needed to demonstrate to potential donors that their investment would deliver actual change soon, and luckily for them, this is where Nick Kay came into his element. Kayaker and builder Nick Kay, along with another member, also a builder by trade, made a start on the construction of their new dream boathouse, roping in two junior kayakers who once finishing school decided they would like to train in the profession, using the construction of the Falcon boathouse as the perfect place to hone their skills.
Thanks to efficient fundraising and shrewd saving, the club had around £800,000 in the bank which they hoped to use on the construction. They applied for a £150,000 grant from Sport England, detailing their 5-year plan, and whilst Sport England was on board, they could only offer half the money requested. Falcon, therefore, utilised a loan scheme offered by Sport England, allowing them to take out an interest-free loan of £100,000, to be paid back over 5 years, none within the first year. Thanks to these significant injections, along with the savings, it started work on the new building and once things were in motion it was far easier to show funders the genuine impact their contributions would have.
It raised more money from a host of smaller funding bodies, such as Oxford Sports Council, something which naturally encounters more rejections than acceptance. Although, both Nicks concede that without some generous private funding from current and former members, the successes of today may not have been possible. Several individuals had come into money through retirement, inheritance, and so forth and these donations were what brought the boathouse project over the line.
Despite the private funding used by Falcon, it is important to stress that the cohesive atmosphere fostered at this club was crucial to having members who felt this was somewhere their money would not go to waste. I was told numerous stories of people who had joined the club and moved away, however on their return, made a point of living close to the club, due to the crucial role it played in their lives.
Community as a cornerstone
Falcon Boat Club, or Falcon to those who attend, was founded in 1869 and therefore is the oldest public rowing club in the city. While originally formed as a rowing club to allow access to an elitist sport for those not privileged enough to study at the renowned university, since the 1970s kayakers and canoeists have been incorporated to bolster a club now consisting of over 500 members.
Nick assures me that community work is nothing new to Falcon, something I can attest to having grown up in the local area, with the club getting the prestigious Queens Award for Voluntary Service in 2012. However, the completion of the new clubhouse has allowed the club to refocus and expand its array of initiatives. One way the club involves itself in Oxford’s community is by working alongside local state schools. A previous scheme with Cheney School was successful, but after being wound up during COVID it never materialised again. That is why a new scheme has been set up with three of the local secondary schools who are least likely to have access to rowing. Oxford Academy, Oxford Spires, and Greyfriars are all in the process of working with Falcon to get involved with extra curriculum rowing where possible.
The club has also generated significant funding to subsidise rowing coaching for children who receive free school meals. Nick admits there are ingrained difficulties with access to rowing compared to kayaking and canoeing, meaning whilst the latter coaches are all volunteers, some of the rowing coaches are in paid positions. Rowing traditionally is an expensive sport due to the equipment, training and travel.
On top of their work with local schools, Falcon has a close relationship with numerous charities. One of these is KEEN Oxford, who run sporting sessions for people with a range of disabilities. KEEN originated in Oxford in the 1980s but now organises programmes across the UK and US. City of Oxford Rowing Club (CORC) is on the same stretch of the Thames and has invested heavily in running an adaptive rowing team, meaning Falcon is happy to let CORC take the lead. However, Falcon’s work with several charities focusing on providing equal access to sport allows them to run numerous recreational sessions. There is a programme in conjunction with KEEN, and sessions with Style Acre, a charity supporting people with learning difficulties, as well as Canadian canoe lessons organised by My Vision to give people with visual impairments an opportunity to explore the river.
Furthermore, Falcon aims to reflect their diverse local community and that is one theme they are currently working hard to achieve. There have been successful programmes in the past such as the Oxford Bangladeshi Boat Club which hosted races and events, aided by Falcon, using traditional Nowka Bais boats. However, after the death of the founder during COVID, the club is not currently active. Nick is keen to incorporate a larger number of Oxford’s Asian community into the day-to-day activities of the club rather than less sporadic events, and there is lots of work going on behind the scenes to improve the club's diversity, by working alongside local schools and scout groups.
Local community in East Oxford is at the forefront of all Falcon Boat Club’s plans, an ideology which is over 150 years in the making. Nick is modest about his role in the progression of this club over the last decade, however, it is clear to me that he has fostered an inclusive environment which has allowed this club to flourish. Anyone looking to expand their community impact as a local club should follow the lead of Falcon, and anyone in Oxfordshire who wants to get active on the river should head down to Donnington Bridge on a Saturday or Sunday morning where they will find welcoming people ready to help them cultivate their love for the river.