SMALL ROWING CLUB WITH BIG PLANS BENEFITS FROM RALPHH LINK

One of the London-area’s smallest rowing clubs with big plans for expansion is the latest recipient of the gift of a defibrillator from the RALPHH charity.

Erith Rowing Club has its base on the south side of the River Thames not far from the Dartford Crossing. It has 20 male and female members who participate in the sport across the full range of rowing boats. Whilst weather conditions have a major impact on whether the membership can row on the Thames, nearby Danson Dashes Lake provides an ideal practice location.

The plan is to build membership through local schools, adding to a heritage which stretched back to 1943. Gym and other clubhouse facilities in a building that was once a local police station means that the members can compete in various Kent-based competitions that include regattas at both Maidstone and Gravesend.

Pictured having received the defibrillator from RALPHH Chairman Richard Allen is Angelo Zito, Captain of the Club, astride one of the ergo practice machines in the clubhouse. 

The Robert Allen Life Promotion and Healthy Hearts Trust (RALPHH) takes its name from the late Robert Allen, whose untimely death in 2018 inspired the establishment of the national charity. Robert was a National School’s Rowing Champion and so assisting rowing clubs, as well as other sports that involve strenuous effort, is a fundamental aim of the charity.