Rowing club celebrates with annual awards

THE chairman of Henley Royal Regatta delivered a speech to members of a rowing club at its annual awards night on Saturday.

Richard Phelps attended the Henley Rowing Club event held at Badgemore Park Golf Club.

About 60 club members attended including trustees, club officers and committee members.

Boatman and under-13s coach Pete Nickless was presented the committee award for outstanding service over 50 years at the club. Chris Leppard won the masters award for “outstanding effort” over the year for the club and in his personal rowing achievements.

Members were entertained with a musical performance by Act Normal, which is made up of three former club juniors, Rob Friend, Jonny Smith-Willis and Ryan Davies.

They were also served a three-course meal, which included steak and ale pie, roasted vegetable lasagne and sticky toffee pudding.

Trustee Nick Friend said: “Saturday night was a brilliant evening that showed exactly what happens when every corner of the club comes together.

“Next year we will have the juniors there too and it will only get bigger and better.”

Mr Phelps, despite not being a member, spoke about his personal connections with the club.

This included his family connection with clubs run “by the people” and “for the people”. The Phelpses were one of the four working families which founded Putney Town Rowing Club. He also connected the “formidable women” of both his family and the rowing club, and noted the shared ethos of “community” within both the rowing club and Henley Royal Regatta.

He said: “The origins of Henley Rowing Club go back 200 years. It’s a club created by the people, for the people of Henley, operated from the beer kegs of the White Hart.

“In that it is very similar to Putney Town Rowing Club, which is only 100 years old but created in Putney by the people for the people, operated out of beer kegs of the Duke’s Head.”