Thank you from Fulham Reach Boat Club
Fulham Reach Boat Club sent the following message to the Company.
Dear FRBC Supporter
As 2025 draws to a close, I want to take a moment to thank you for your incredible support and to reflect on what has been an extraordinary year for our charity Fulham Reach Boat Club.
We often speak about the power of sport, but it’s true impact is best expressed by the voices of our participants, many of whom feature in our new impact film here
With your support, in 2024/25, Fulham Reach Boat Club (FRBC) continued to demonstrate the power of sport to drive positive social change, improving health, inclusion, and environmental stewardship across our community. Through our programmes, we engaged close to 2,000 participants across youth, prison, and accessibility initiatives, providing free, high-quality opportunities to get active on the River Thames.
Youth Development remained at the heart of our work, with 826 students from 10 state schools taking part in nearly 600 rowing sessions, and 85 young people joining our Free Watersport Weeks. These free holiday programmes saw a 20% rise in participation, with 80% from diverse backgrounds and 16% with special educational needs. Our Youth Squad achieved national-level competition success, while three graduates became FRBC coaches, proof of rowing’s lasting impact on confidence, teamwork, and aspiration.
The Youth Boat Race 2025 (see short film here) showcased rowing’s growing inclusivity, bringing together 64 students from 10 state schools to race on the iconic Boat Race course, supported by The Boat Race Fund and partners. The event reached a global audience and highlighted how collaboration can break down barriers and make rowing truly representative of London’s diversity.
Through Boats Not Bars, FRBC extended its social impact to people in custody, supporting 184 participants. Over 90% reported improved wellbeing and confidence, with sustained contact after release more than doubling. The programme continues to reduce stigma and create pathways from prison to community through sport, mentoring, and employment. See a short film here.
Our first dedicated accessible rowing programme, Row the Rhythm, opened the sport to blind, visually impaired, and disabled participants. Every participant reported improved health and quality of life, and 86% wanted to continue rowing. Delivered in partnership with VICTA, Love Rowing, and Action on Disability, this initiative marks a step toward year-round adaptive rowing at FRBC. “Rowing at Fulham Reach Boat Club has become one of the most empowering experiences of my life. As a blind rower, I’ve often been told—directly or indirectly—what I can’t do. But from the moment I arrived at FRBC, everything changed. The coaches, volunteers, and other rowers welcomed me with genuine openness, adapting nothing except their expectations of what I could achieve.” VI Participant
Finally, our Environmental Action united over 400 volunteers in protecting the Thames, collecting over 2 tonnes of rubbish, conducting 43 water-quality tests, and launching our first electric boat charging station. Recognised by Sport England as a model of climate leadership (see short film here), this work reflects our belief that caring for the river is inseparable from caring for our community.
Across all programmes, participants reported increased physical activity, teamwork skills, confidence, and connection to nature. FRBC’s holistic model combining sport, social inclusion, and sustainability continues to prove that rowing can be a force for good: empowering young people, reducing reoffending, opening access, and safeguarding the river for future generations.
Please save the date for the 2026 Youth Boat Race on Friday 4th April and the FRBC Boat Race event on Saturday 5th April. We would love you to join us at one of these events, or both, where we can bring you up to date on all things FRBC and introduce you to some of the team whilst enjoying some racing from our pontoon.
Supporting so many people, and truly transforming lives, is only possible thanks to your ongoing support. Thank you and we look forward to staying in touch and welcoming you to FRBC soon.
With our very best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.
Kind regards
Julia and Amanda
| Julia Philipson
Chief of Community Development Amanda Wood Trust Fundraising Lead Fulham Reach Boat Club |
