17.12.2015
Kings College School takes home PLA Rowing Safety Award
Kings College School took home the first prize and £1000 in the Port of London Authority’s (PLA) annual Rowing Safety Awards at a ceremony at the school’s rowing club on Putney Embankment.
The tidal Thames is the UK’s national hub for rowing, with 89 rowing clubs and an estimated 6,000 people rowing on the river each year. The rowing club’s safety performance is rated by the Thames Regional Rowing Council (TRRC) through-out the year, using a points-based system to produce a league table of the safest clubs.
Martin Humphrys, TRRC chairman said: “Kings College School has had an exceptional safety record this year, but what has put them ahead of all of all the clubs is their attitude towards safety and improvements from previous years.”
Patrick Duggan, Kings College School director of rowing said: “We’re chuffed to bits to win Rowing Safety Award. It’s welcome reward for all the hard work this year making safety second nature to our rowers. More important than the prize though, is the fact that they are enjoying the river safely.”
The runners up for the annual ward were Tideway Scullers School and Putney Town Rowing Club, which were awarded £500 each.
David Phillips, PLA chief harbour master said: “The Thames is the busiest waterway in the UK and its tides and idiosyncrasies present a very challenging environment so managing safety is our highest priority. The PLA are thrilled to see Kings College School Wimbledon, take the top prize for their faultless safety record this year. Runners-up Tideway Scullers and Putney Town RC showed great strength in maintaining excellent safety standards. Well done to all concerned from the whole PLA team.”
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Note:
- In October 2015 the PLA and the British Rowing Thames Regional Rowing released an updated, easy to use, Code of Practice for Rowing on the Tidal Thames. The Rowing Code can be viewed at: https://www.pla.co.uk/assets/THE_ROWING_CODE.pdf
About the PLA
- The PLA is a self-financing organisation, set-up by an Act of Parliament in 1909 to run the tidal River Thames in trust for future generations. Its 350-strong workforce oversees safe navigation, protects the marine environment and promotes the use of the river. The PLA has no shareholders and any financial surpluses are reinvested in stewardship of the river and improving the efficiency of PLA operations.
- The PLA oversees navigational safety and river operations on 95 miles of the tidal Thames from Teddington Lock, through the capital, and out to the sea.
