Latest News

Percy Hedley Foundation Get Going, Get Rowing

Through a partnership with the Tony Blair Sports Foundation and British Rowing, young people from the Percy Hedley Sports Academy have been receiving training and coaching instructions using specially adapted indoor rowing machines provided by Concept2.

Indoor rowing has taken off across the country as an individual sport, as well as continuing to be a training aid for water-based rowing and other sports. Competition in indoor rowing provides motivation, sustainability and encourages competitive interest and a major benefit for young people who enjoy indoor rowing is the possibility of continued participation beyond school.

Get Going Get Rowing is the North East’s school indoor rowing competition launched in 2009 by the Tony Blair Sports Foundation and the North East NHS and this year the Foundation want to include adapted machines so that young people with disabilities can take part too.

Caroline McDonald, current British adaptive arms only champion and her coach Greg Beswick from Tees Rowing Club will be visiting Percy Hedley Sports Academy on Tuesday 15th November, to give the young people an indoor rowing demonstration which is sure to provide a real insight into adaptive rowing.

Madeleine Millichap, British Rowing’s adaptive rowing coach, who is working with the Tony Blair Sports Foundation to develop this project, says:

“The inclusion of Adaptive Rowing in the Foundation’s Get Going, Get Rowing programme means that children with a range of disabilities will now be able to take part in indoor rowing competitions and hopefully this will encourage some to progress on to the water following Caroline’s example. In order to do this we need more trained coaches and working with the Tony Blair Sports Foundation will enable us to increase the capacity and make a real positive difference to these young people.”