Rowers from a prestigious Durham school will be competing with a regional employer in their crew at the North East’s premier rowing regatta this weekend.
Durham School Boat Club used a grant from the Banks Group to support a pre-season training camp for 30 students and staff at the Willem-Alexander Baan rowing centre in Rotterdam, which is used by elite rowing crews from all over the world for training and competitions.
The grant also helped the Boat Club bring in a range of new equipment to replace items that had reached the end of their usable life.
And now, as part of the sponsorship, the school’s boats will be bearing the name of Banks’ housebuilding division, Banks Homes, when they take to the River Wear at the annual Durham Regatta on 14 and 15 June.
Durham School was one of the Regatta’s founders when it was first run in 1834 and will be sending more than 30 crews of students aged between 13 and 18 years old to this year’s event, with several crews comprising former students also set to take part.
The Regatta attracts over 1,400 competitors from schools, universities and rowing clubs from across the UK, with around 10,000 spectators expected to line the banks of the Wear over the two days.
It also sees a range of bands, performers, food stalls and businesses setting up along the river, with the Banks Homes team taking their place among them this year for the first time.
Eddie Bryant, head of rowing at Durham School, says: “The Durham Regatta is the highlight of the year for the club and we’re going all out to put on the best show we can on our home water.
“Being able to take students across to a world class training facility really boosted our preparations for this season, both in terms of the volume of training we got done, both on and off the water, and the team spirit that it helped to bolster right across the age groups.
“Our crews make a long-term commitment and put in a huge amount of work to prepare themselves for competition and they’re ready to pit themselves against some of the best schools and rowing clubs in the region.
“While we have a long and proud rowing history, we’re a relatively small school compared to many of our peers and need to keep punching above our weight to stay competitive. and
“We’re very grateful for the support that Banks has given our young rowers this year to help us do just that and proud to be carrying the Banks Homes name with us into competition at the weekend.”
Russ Hall, managing director at Banks Homes, adds: “Banks has been supporting a wide range of young people’s sports, sports teams and competitions across our home county for many years and we’re looking forward to seeing the Durham School crews flying the flag for the city this weekend.”