Operation Bell Boat

The Pitch

Problem statement

Our Centre offers a a range of watersport and land-based activities to the local community - public, schools, youth and community groups. Our fleet of 5 Bell Boats - 10 seater, twin hull canoes are detiorating and some are now beyond repair. We like to be able to get a full class of students on the water and need to have 3 boats in good condition to allow the students to practice paddling skills, race the boats, view the wildlife and play some games on them. These craft are a safe, stable platform and great for teaching teamwork. We also run a Bell Boat Regatta annually for Year 5 & 6, however, these have been cancelled due to Covid.

Solution

The Bell Boats cost £4,895 and to purchase one of these would allow us to have 3 safe and seaworthy boats on the water. We are hopeful that with the relaxing of Covid government guidelines in July, that we will be able to set up a Bell Boat Regatta in September / October for the local Primary Schools and also open up the use of the boats, which were restricted due to social distancing problems.

Why are we best placed to deliver?

Phoenix Outdoor Centre is based on the Welsh Harp reservoir and is set-up for providing watersports to the local community. We have a strong user base and promotion of activities through our website, newsletters, Facebook and Instagram. In 2019, we provided over 9,000 attendances (based on users attending a standard two hour ± session). The Bell boats are an ideal craft for users with additional needs and we have staff trained to work with SEND users and provide activities to local special schools, council youth projects and Mencap. Our organisation is regulated by the Adventurous Activities Licencing Authority and is a British Canoeing Delivery Partner and RYA Recognised Training Centre.

Focus Areas

Delivery plan

Budget breakdown

Beneficiaries

150 people

Expected impact

We have kept the above number low as the first six months will be over the winter months which are not generally very busy in the outdoor industry. We hope to get a Bell Boat Regatta running for September / October which will also help with some London Marathon Charitable Trust related activities to support our runner in the race. We record all participation figures and can demonstrate the use of the new craft annually. A thank you letter from a local special needs school: “We are a class of young people with severe learning difficulties so to experience powering a bell boat as a team was a huge success and challenging for some. One young man had never been on a boat before and he had to overcome his massive fear to even step onto the safety boat. He managed after three weeks to get on board and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Thank you for the opportunities that you have allowed these young people to take part in – life changing experience for many of them!” Mapledown School

Track record

As a charity, we have to rely on funding support for most of our capital equipment and have been supported by Wembley National Stadium Trust, Edward Harvist Trust Fund, John Lyon's Charity, London Marathon Charitable Trust, Sport England, National Lottery, West Hendon Community Fund and the Young Barnet Foundation. We have also worked in partnership with local companies such as Barratt Homes (London), Decathlon and London Boroughs of Barnet & Brent to support and fund projects.

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