Two rowing school programmes in the UK are closing at the end of the summer term.
- Millfield School
- London Oratory School
Below are links to both schools publicity about their rowing and a support / lobby group for LOSBC. The rowing community discussing it on FB all say the sadness is the demise of a state school (LOS) rowing programme. There are too few of these, the group agrees.
Richard Hooper the chair of the Kitchin Society (which supports high school rowing in the UK) asked us to help publicise this letter. If you can support them by emailing to admin@los.ac and add your voice.
Richard advises that the rowing world knows about this but the ‘mainstream’ media and the public don’t.
If you have suggestions, contacts and introductions you can make, please add them in the comments below.
Lobbying Tactics
Richard Hooper Writes…..This is what I’ve sent to the LOS governors ….
Dear Chair of Governors,
I write as Chairman of a group of 55 directors of schools rowing (The Kitchin Society) and I wish to record our support for the fight to keep your boat club open.
Your club is one of very few state school boat clubs and, as such, London Oratory School should be very proud of what the club has achieved.
That state school boat clubs can contribute in a most significant way to rowing in this country is demonstrated by the victory that The Windsor Boys School had in the Fawley Cup at Henley yesterday.
One day, with the great progress that LOSBC is making at the moment, it could well be the London Oratory School on the podium of the premier rowing event in the British Isles.
I do hope very much that you and your fellow governors choose to keep you boat club open.
Yours faithfully,
Richard Hooper, Chairman, The Kitchin Society
Millfield School Rowing is on Twitter, has a web page, a brochure and this promotional video. Sadly they only appointed a new Head of Rowing in September 2016 and he’s already out of work…
London Oratory School has a web page, a support group LOSBC blog, a Twitter account and this article from Row360 about their fight to stay afloat and this article from a former head of rowing at the school, Ali Boileau. And for those who wish to support the LOSBC in its bid to stay afloat, please visit their Just Giving page £8265 donated since 11 May here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/losbc/keepusafloat