Kingston Kayak Club

On Saturday 16 January 2010 Kingston Kayak Club, Albert Avenue, Hull, was voted the best canoe club in England by a panel of experts from the British Canoe Union. This prestigious award was presented at the Canoe England Coach Conference, Wyboston Lakes Conference Centre, Bedfordshire. The award was presented to club chairman Dave Lowthorpe and committee members Geoff Davis and Dave Rodgers by Etienne Stott who part of a C2 team who won silver and bronze medals at last years World and European Championships respectively.

KKC Canoe England Club of the year 2010

The club received a cheque for £700 and are now in a short list of 7 other sports clubs from around the country to receive the overall CCPR SCOTY award and the potential to receive a further £6 000 for club development. The club is invited to the finale in London in May, when the overall winner will announced.

The club was judged around the following areas:-

• Difference does your club make to its volunteers, coaches, participants and non-participants.
• Difference does the club make to the local community
• Partnerships the club has created
• Plans for the next 5 years and how will winning the Canoe England and SCOTY award will help deliver club’s key objectives in the next 12 months?

Club spokesman Dave Rawding (who has been a member of the KKC since it started 30 years ago) said ‘ This is a very significant moment for the club, we have already had a Top Club award. But getting national recognition endorses the hard work of the volunteers and members who have developed the sport of canoeing to this level. We have been very active at encouraging people to become involved in what is a fun and healthy pastime. Our members compete all over the the UK and abroad however there are so many varieties of canoeing it can appeal to the whole family from the ambitious young aspiring Olympian to a mum and dad who want to potter around on a summers day. We also know how much the public enjoy watching the annual canoe polo International on Princes Quay. This is a brilliant achievement for the whole city as we have been helped and encouraged by many to achieve this status’