It’s not only our GB rowers who, as medal contenders at the Athens Olympics, are poised for an exciting year. Members of Dart-Totnes Amateur Rowing Club are celebrating the award of a grant of £232,848 towards their flagship development project, Pulling Together.

The club is amongst the first, and is one of only six rowing clubs nationally, to secure an award from the Community Club Development Programme which is an innovative collaboration between Government – the Department for Culture, Media and Sport – Sport England and 16 National Governing Bodies of sport. "This is very exciting for the club, and is fantastic news for the sport and local community", said Andy Sloper, club Junior Co-ordinator.

Chief Executive of Sport England Roger Draper said: "We are delighted to make this award to Dart-Totnes Amateur Rowing Club. The facility is the key to the local and regional development of rowing and we are committed to making sure that the club continues to provide access for the community."

"The Community Club Development Programme represents a new way of working for Sport England whereby national governing bodies of sport are involved in the initial selection of possible projects that should receive funding based on their own strategic plans. Dart-Totnes Amateur Rowing Club was a key site having already invested resources in increasing club membership levels from the community, primarily through Project Oarsome."

Conceived only last spring, the project will see the creation of a new indoor rowing room, a coach video/training room, additional changing and boat storage facilities, and vastly improved access. "Our architect, Alan Tate, has ensured Totnes will gain one of the best facilities in the region, with his clever and sympathetic design", said Simon Gifford-Mead, club Vice-chairman. Building work will commence in May and finish in November.

The new facilities will enable the club to build on its recent success and realise its ambitious development plan. Growth has been particularly strong in Junior rowing, though initiatives such as Project Oarsome. More than 70 eleven year-olds from three local schools are introduced to rowing each year. This year, club Juniors won three of only 40 places on a prestigious training camp for promising Junior-16’s. Rowing is a lifelong sport as is reflected by the club’s strength across all ages from Juniors to Veterans. New members of all ages are always welcome and should contact the club whether they want to take part competitively or for health and fitness purposes.

With the new project, the club aims to forge more links with local schools and new links with health organisations. It also aims to foster collaboration with local clubs, found a centre for the emerging sport of indoor rowing, and support further growth in river-based rowing. The project will increase the use made of an attractive venue and help to realise the potential of the river Dart at Totnes. Overall it will support social wellbeing, encourage healthy lifestyles and deliver sports development benefits, as well as establishing the club as a major centre for the sport.

Alongside Sport England, the club has been able to meet the full £251,000 capital costs of the project through the generous partnership funding from the Environment Agency, Totnes & District Youth Network, and other local businesses and charities. "We’re very grateful to everyone who has sponsored us", said Alan Pyne, club Chairman. "We’ve been enormously impressed too, by the advice and assistance we’ve received from the Amateur Rowing Association, and by the cooperation we’ve received from South Hams District Council".