Eastern Region Rowing Council – Covid-19 page

Latest Covid-19 news, advice and guidance

Clubs and individual rowers are reminded that all British Rowing policies and guidelines still apply including the Code of Conduct, Safeguarding and Whistleblowing polices.

28th February 2022

Following the latest announcements of the end of legal restrictions arising from Covid British Rowing have issued fresh guidance which is available here.

“We advise the rowing community to continue to follow the government’s guidance over the coming weeks up to 1 April when all legal restrictions will end in England.  The government’s timeline can be found on Pages 21 and 22 of Covid-19 Response: Living With Covid-19 or here.

For continuity and clarity, from today (25 February 2022) we are moving to Rowing Level 1 in our own Managing Covid-19, Advice for the Rowing Community but we suggest that clubs and the rowing community continue to act as safely as possible by following best practice within the guidance and in particular:

• Equipment cleaning
• Good ventilation
• Booking systems
• Stay away from your club if you have, or suspect you have, Covid-19

We also recommend that all clubs and competitions explicitly include Covid-19 in any risk assessments carried out.  Respect for others who wish to continue to wear face coverings and/or continue to self isolate is to be encouraged as well.”

8th October 2021

British Rowing have published version 15 of Managing COVID-19. The material changes are relatively minor but several areas have been significantly condensed, particularly the guidance for competitions, to reflects the latest statements from Government.

You can read and download this from the BR site here.

21st July

The Government’s move to step 4 of their plan to relax restrictions related to COVID will allow rowing to move a step closer to being back to normal and British Rowing have issued Version 14 of ‘Managing Covid-19’.

The Guidance reflects the move away from legal requirements to guidance but in other ways is not much changed.

British Rowing and other sports have been asking DCMs and Sport England for further, specific guidance and it is hoped to be able to release a V 14.1 next week.

In the meantime you can download V.14 from the British Rowing website or from here.

17th June

With the latest announcements with regard to the Government’s roadmap British Rowing have released version 12.1 of “Managing COVID-19, Advice for the rowing community”

The main changes reflect the latest UK Government announcements in particular the delay to Step 4 of the Government’s Roadmap, new guidance on weddings/civil partnerships and a tightening up on the language around face coverings.  As with previous versions, the changes are highlighted in yellow.

You can download the latest version from the British Rowing website or from here

15th May

Following the move to Step 3 of the Government’s Covid-19 Spring Response British Rowing have released Version 12 of ‘Managing Covid-19 – Advice for the rowing community’.

This contains an updated framework reflecting current guidance, updates to specific limitations and information about vaccinations and lateral flow testing.

Further guidance from Government is expected on spectators at events and this will be added as soon as it becomes available.

You can download the document from the British Rowing website or from here.

23rd April

As competitions are beginning to happen once more British Rowing have issued a quick guide to some frequently asked questions. You can access this from the BR website here.

8th April

British Rowing have updated the guidance to reflect some of the details now provided by the Government in relation to Step 2 of their Spring 2021 Covid-19 Response – coming into effect on April 12th.

You can download this, Version 11.2, from the British Rowing website or from here.

25th March

Following the publication of the Government’s latest advice on the return of sport for Step 1b, British Rowing has updated the Managing COVID-19 Guidance to version 11.1.

This contains updates to the roadmap, updated information on travel, clarifications with regard to equipment and facilities, and updated guidance for COVID-Secure competition. You can download a copy of this document from the BR website or from here.

BR have also published a collection of resources and tools available to clubs and competitions (including some new ones), new Club Guides and links to webinars and the new Learn to Row Guide. Please see the BR pages here.

As we all return to the water please can we all SHARE our first Spring experiences over the next week or two through pictures and video using the hashtag #ReturnToRowing

11th March

British Rowing have today issued Version 11 of the document ‘Managing Covid 19, Advice and Guidance to the Rowing Community’.

This version incorporates the advice issued since the publication of the Government Roadmap in late February. There are still a number of clarifications required (particularly in relation to competition) and so it is very likely that BR will need to release a v11.1 as soon as further guidance on Step 1b (29 March) is available from DCMS/Sport England. We are not expecting this imminently so felt it was important to get this out for the moment.

You can download the document from the British Rowing website or directly from here.

3rd March 2021

Return of School Rowing

With schools returning on 8 March, British Rowing have set out what we know so far and highlight some of the questions we’re still actively seeking answers

In the first step of the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown (Step 1a), schools will reopen and will be allowed to deliver school rowing. The details of how this will work are contained in the Government’s Schools coronavirus operational guidance (see p58, Physical activity in schools). We’ve set out below a summary of what it means and what we are looking to clarify.

• Schools may deliver rowing as part of curricular or ‘wrap-around care’ subject to it fitting within their own system of controls.
• Outdoor sport should be prioritised, meaning on-water rowing, including crew boats may take place following our COVID-Secure guidance.
• Where outdoor sport is not possible, indoor sport can be delivered subject to maximising natural ventilation flows (through opening windows and doors or using air conditioning systems wherever possible), distancing between pupils, and paying scrupulous attention to cleaning and hygiene. In relation to indoor rowing, we would suggest where possible rowing machines are moved outside and if this is not possible, the guidance above is followed.
• Groups should be kept as consistent as possible and in order to comply we would suggest keeping groups taking part in rowing and any individual crews as consistent as possible.
• Schools can work with external coaches (from clubs or other organisations) subject to the school being happy this fits in their system of controls. See below in relation to external facilities.

We are looking to clarify the situation regarding whether schools may use external facilities from 8 March or 29 March (e.g. partner rowing clubs):

• The guidance is clear that rowing may take place in school-owned/operated facilities, however, the guidance suggests that external facilities may only be used in line with Government guidance for the use of these facilities (i.e. if they are closed to the rest of the public or they are outside of the local area they cannot be used).

Once we have further clarification on the point above, this advice will be incorporated into a new version of our ‘Managing COVID-19’ guidance document. Please remember that the requirements above are in addition to any normal welfare and safety requirements and restrictions from local water authorities (e.g. red boards).

23rd February 2021

Following last night’s announcement from the Government, British Rowing has prepared the statement below which sets out what we understand each step will mean for rowing so far.

Once the remaining issues have been clarified the outstanding points a fresh version of the guidance will be issued.

British Rowing welcomes Government’s COVID-19 Roadmap

Whilst there are some clarifications that are still required, here’s what we know so far

British Rowing welcomes the roadmap to opening the country back up from the current lockdown. We fully endorse the assessment that sport and physical activity has a critical role to play in reducing the adverse effects of the pandemic on the population’s physical and mental health.

The document published by the Government provides a good outline for how sport will return. There are some further clarifications that we require, however, to help clubs start to make plans, we have set out how we think the different Government steps will align with our framework. It’s important to note that the guidance below is subject to change as more clarity on the Government’s restrictions becomes available.

---

Step 1a (March 8)

Club Facilities	Hospitality Facilities	On-Water Activity	Indoor Training	Competition
Rowing Level 5 All club facilities closed	Rowing Level 4 COVID-Secure takeaway only	Rowing Level 4 Single household crews for personal exercise only	Rowing Level 5 No indoor club activity	Rowing Level 5 No competition

Step 1a will not significantly change much for rowing except for school rowing. At this stage we expect this to allow schools to restart rowing from school facilities only. Existing exemptions allowing for adaptive rowing continue to apply.

Step 1b (March 29)

Club Facilities	Hospitality Facilities	On-Water Activity	Indoor Training	Competition
Rowing Level 4 Minimum facilities to allow COVID-Secure boating	Rowing Level 4 COVID-Secure takeaway only	Rowing Level 2 All crew boats allowed subject to COVID-Secure protocols	Rowing Level 5 No indoor club activity	Rowing Level 4 COVID-Secure intraclub competition (TBC)

At Step 1b, outdoor organised sport will be allowed to return and will not be subject to limits on gathering sizes. This means that crew boat rowing of all sizes will be possible in all rowing clubs with mixed households (subject to the appropriate COVID-Secure protocols). Indoor training will not be possible.

We are clarifying rules relating to competition but we anticipate intra-club competition to be allowed at this stage.

Mixing of different households indoors is not permitted and as such opening of club facilities should be limited to the minimum required to allow crews to get on the water.

Step 2 (no earlier than 12 April)

Club Facilities	Hospitality Facilities	On-Water Activity	Indoor Training	Competition
Rowing Level 3 All COVID-Secure facilities open with specific limitations	Rowing Level 4 COVID-Secure catering & bar facilities open with specific limitations	Rowing Level 2 All crew boats allowed subject to COVID-Secure protocols	Rowing Level 4 Personal or household exercise only	TBC

As we move into Step 2, households will still be prevented from mixing indoors and so indoor training facilities may be used for individual (or single household) exercise (once more information is available, we will clarify how this will work). Hospitality facilities at clubs may reopen for outdoor hospitality only (subject to the rules on group sizes).

Competition may be possible at this stage, however, we are looking to clarify what restrictions there may be on travel and how they might affect this. We hope this will allow for affiliated competitions to run with limitations on how far clubs and volunteers can travel for the event.

Step 3 (no earlier than 17 May)

Club Facilities	Hospitality Facilities	On-Water Activity	Indoor Training	Competition
Rowing Level 3 All COVID-Secure facilities open with specific limitations	Rowing Level 4 COVID-Secure catering & bar facilities open with specific limitations	Rowing Level 2 All crew boats allowed subject to COVID-Secure protocols	Rowing Level 2 Indoor training allowed subject to COVID-Secure protocols	Rowing Level 2 COVID-Secure Private Matches and Affiliated Competitions (TBC)

When Step 3 is confirmed, we expect that organised COVID-Secure indoor training and group exercise training will become possible. Indoor hospitality will be permitted subject to the rule of six. With domestic stays allowed, we would expect Affiliated Competitions to be allowed at this stage.

Step 4 (no earlier than 21 June)

Club Facilities	Hospitality Facilities	On-Water Activity	Indoor Training	Competition
Rowing Level 2 All COVID-Secure facilities open	Rowing Level 2 COVID-Secure catering & bar facilities open	Rowing Level 2 All crew boats allowed subject to COVID-Secure protocols	Rowing Level 2 Indoor training allowed subject to COVID-Secure protocols	Rowing Level 2 COVID-Secure Private Matches and Affiliated Competitions (TBC)

At Step 4 – we expect that the rowing community will be fully operational following COVID-Secure protocols.

---

We are aiming to clarify our remaining questions and some of the detail of particular steps as soon as possible. Once we have this information we will publish an updated version of our Managing COVID-19 guidance.

January 8th

British Rowing has issued version 10 of the Managing Covid-19 Guidance guidance incorporating the previously published advice for the lockdown.

The advice remains as published on the night of the lockdown announcement except for some notes around an exemption to allow people to retrieve personal equipment from club facilities.

You can download a copy from the BR website or here.

7th January

The Environment Agency has issued fresh guidance in response to the current situation. This prohibits the use of powered craft on their waterways.

4th January

British Rowing has issued the following statement in response to tonight’s announcements.

Rowing & Lockdown 3

As the Government announces a third nationwide lockdown, based on the currently available information, here’s what we think it means for rowing.

Tonight the Prime Minister announced nationwide restrictions in light of rising numbers of COVID-19 cases across the country due to come into effect immediately (and into law later in the week). Unfortunately part of these restrictions are a requirement for sports clubs to close and, as such, rowing clubs should close their rowing facilities with immediate effect.

During this time:

• we advise affiliated clubs to close all facilities;
• indoor training facilities should be closed;
• intra-club competition, private matches and affiliated competitions should not take place; and,
• inline with other pubs and restaurants, hospitality facilities may operate as takeaway only (although in the vast majority of cases this is probably not practical for rowing clubs).

Clubs are reminded of the guidance available on page 60 of our Managing COVID-19 document with a checklist for securing your facilities before a closure.

Whilst personal exercise is permitted once a day, with club facilities shut rowing will only be possible if: 

• you are able to safely access, launch and recover your boat without accessing your club (e.g. stored at home and launched from a public space);
• if you are able to do this without leaving your local area;
• in a single or single household/support bubble crew; and,
• if the relevant waterway authorities permit recreational boating.

Particularly, given the current cold weather conditions, we would recommend carefully considering your risk assessment before exercising in this way. As a rowing community, we do not want to put any additional pressure on emergency services having to rescue rowers or treat the effects of cold exposure.

At this stage, there are no exemptions for junior rowing to any of restrictions, however, organised outdoor adaptive rowing is permitted to continue.

Thank you as always to the many volunteers up and down the country working to help support their fellow rowers. Thanks to the continued support of our members, our team remains on hand to answer any questions you might have via clubsupport@britishrowing.org.

23rd December

Following clarifications from Sport England, British Rowing has updated the guidance document to version 9, now including the various restrictions related to Tier 4.

This confirms that the impact as largely as originally published – the new guidance is available from the British Rowing website or you can download it here.

19th December

Following today’s announcement by the Government of a new Tier 4 Local COVID Alert Level, British Rowing have issued the statement below.

Rowing and Tier 4 Local COVID Alert Level

This afternoon, the Government announced a new Tier 4 Local COVID Alert Level due to come into effect in a number of areas from midnight tonight (19 December). Whilst there will inevitably be areas of detail that require clarification, based on the information that is available to date, British Rowing advises that the following framework should be applied to rowing in Tier 4 areas.

Club Sporting Facilities	Hospitality Facilities	On-Water Activity	Indoor Club Activity	Competition
Rowing Level 4	Rowing Level 4	Rowing Level 4	Rowing Level 5	Rowing Level 5
Minimum facilities to allow COVID-Secure boating only	COVID-Secure takeaway services only	Single household crews* for personal exercise only	No indoor club activity	No competition

* Single household crews means singles or crew boats made up of a single household or Support bubble.

Travel Restrictions: There are additional restrictions on travel for those living in or clubs based in Tier 4 areas – rowers should not travel into or out of a tier 4 area for rowing purposes.

Juniors & Adaptive Rowing: There is an exemption that allows for junior and adaptive rowing to continue outdoor organised sport in Tier 4 areas. At this stage, we believe this allows for juniors and people with a disability to continue to row in crew boats (i.e. from mixed households) and take part in group activities.

It is important to reiterate that clubs should complete a risk assessment based on their own particular environment and this may mean they choose to limit rowing further than the advice above. We would ask club members to be understanding of this situation and support the volunteers working to keep their clubs operating safely.

The information available at this stage is limited given how quickly the situation is moving.  We will continue to provide any additional clarifications we are able to and plan to issue an updated version of our Managing COVID-19 guidance when the full implications of Tier 4 for sport are available from the Government.

16th December

During the period 23 December to 27 December – the Government’s COVID-19 rules are being adjusted to allow for “Christmas bubbles”. To help the rowing community consider how this guidance impacts on rowing community British Rowing have issued the news article below and have added a the second section to the ‘Managing COVID-19’ guidance document as version 8.3. This can be downloaded from the British Rowing website or from here.

Rowing and Christmas bubbles

British Rowing encourages rowers to be considerate of their clubmates this Christmas particularly during and after forming a ‘Christmas bubble’

This Christmas will be an unusual one, to say the least. With the Government adapting their restrictions to allow for families and friends to get together for a limited time, it is important that we are considerate of each other as a rowing community. We have added additional guidance to our Managing COVID-19 guidance (to version 8.3) to help explain how these Christmas bubbles should be taken into consideration for rowing. The full text of the addition is included below.

As we come up to the end of the year, thank you to the many volunteers across the country who have kept their rowing clubs safe and connected. During this holiday period, please can we also remind everyone to think about those in and around our rowing community who might be alone this Christmas and finding the period difficult. The charity Mind, in partnership with Believe Perform, has produced a series of helpful resources in relation to mental health in sport which may be useful. The rowing family has done a great job of looking after each other this year and so we’re sure this will continue into 2021.

---

Christmas bubbles

During the period between 23 December to 27 December, specific changes to the COVID-19 restrictions will be in place to allow households to combine to form a Christmas bubble. We would advise clubs and members to be considerate to their fellow club members during this period and after you have ended your Christmas bubble.

Before forming your Christmas bubble: UK Government guidance suggests that you should reduce unnecessary contact with people outside your household for the two weeks before you form your Christmas bubble. During this period, based on your personal circumstances, you may wish to consider restricting your rowing activity accordingly (e.g. not rowing in crews with other households).

During your Christmas bubble: if you attend the rowing club, we would recommend you still treat your Christmas bubble as if it is separate households.

After your Christmas bubble: Government guidance suggests that you should reduce contact with people outside your bubble for the two weeks after you last meet with your Christmas bubble. During this period, you should consider restricting your rowing activity to your own household only (i.e. not rowing in crews with other households).

For more information on Christmas bubbles please see:

GOV.uk: Making a Christmas bubble

Please note that regulations relating to Christmas bubbles may vary between England, Scotland and Wales

3rd December

Following publication of the detail of the Government’s new tiered structure, British Rowing has now update their guidance document to version 8.2. The key changes/clarifications are:

• Updated guidance on changing rooms 
• Clarification on travel restrictions
• Exemptions to travel restrictions and group sizes for under-18 activity, adaptive rowing and educational purposes (e.g. DiSE).

You can download this version from the BR website or from here.

27th November

British Rowing has updated its advice to Clubs and rowers following the announcement of the Government’s new tiered structure.

There are still some areas that require clarification, in particular, if exceptions exist for youth and/or disability sport in relation to travel restrictions. BR are currently seeking clarification from Sport England/DCMS on these points and will update guidance once this comes but wanted to give clubs the opportunity to start planning over the weekend.

The advice is available from the BR website or can be downloaded here.

20th November

British Rowing have issued Version 8 of their Advice to the rowing community with regard to the current pandemic.

This version reflects a move away from “Return to Rowing” and towards managing and sustaining our sport during these challenging times. Accordingly the framework of advice has been altered to reflect more complicated, localised situation we find ourselves in.

The core of the advice remains the same but detail has been added, for example, on travel restrictions, self-isolation and gym facilities, together with links to further resources financial, sporting and to external guidance.

Clubs and rowers will wish to familiarise themselves with this document which is available from the British Rowing website or can be downloaded here.

British Rowing have issued the following statement to accopmany this release:

It is now around eight months since we entered the first lockdown caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and, since the end of that lockdown, we have issued seven major versions of our guidance document on Returning to Rowing. Our guidance has helped the rowing community come together to get our clubs back open and, for a limited time at least, return to rowing competition.

Whilst we have no additional information beyond what is publicly available about what will come after the (second) lockdown, the current direction of travel appears to be a return to the Local COVID Alert Levels we saw before these national restrictions. We have, therefore, taken the opportunity to restructure our guidance document, and the framework it is based on, to cater for this kind of structure.

Previously, we had set our Return to Rowing Phases from A to H which mapped the journey from complete lockdown through to all parts of the sport being back in some form. Now we find ourselves in a more complicated situation in terms of Government restrictions where certain elements of the sport may become more restricted than others. Our framework has therefore been adjusted  to separate out the areas of sporting facilities, on-water activity, indoor activity, competition and hospitality facilities. This will allow us, and you, to ‘dial up’ or ‘dial down’ different areas of the sport as required by Government legislation and guidance. Each element has then been broken down from complete shutdown to normal, pre-pandemic activity. To reflect the ongoing situation we all find ourselves in, we are also renaming this document from ‘Return to Rowing Guidance’ to ‘Managing COVID-19’.

The advantage of this new framework is that we can easily describe what the situation is for the different Local COVID Alert Levels (or tiers) set out by the Government at a national level once we are out of this lockdown. There are still some local variations to this structure and so it’s really important that you check any specific local restrictions for your area and, as always, carry out a risk assessment taking into account your own local knowledge and environment. At this stage, we’ve based the guidance on what the levels were before the (second) lockdown and will review these as soon as the Government provides extra information on how things will be managed after this second lockdown ends.

As always, new guidance and material changes are highlighted in yellow in the document (guidance that has simply been moved has not been highlighted).

What to do if you have questions?

If you are…

• an individual member – you should contact your club in the first instance to understand their COVID-Secure protocols.
• a club (including a school or university boat club) – please contact our Club Support team via clubsupport@britishrowing.org.
• an event or competition – please contact our competitions team via onlineentry@britishrowing.org.

5th November

British Rowing have issued a further update on lockdown restrictions. BR recognise that there are still some areas of detail and questions that will need to be covered off and are working to seek further clarity on these.

Update on new national restrictions

Following the publication of the new legislation giving the detail of the new lockdown restrictions, we can now confirm what we do know and where there are still areas we are seeking clarification

Yesterday, the House of Commons passed the legislation setting out the national restrictions for England which has come into force for the period 5 November to 2 December. This legislation, along with various pieces of Government guidance, provides clarity on the impact of these restrictions on some areas of the rowing community. We still have a number of questions outstanding for which we are seeking urgent clarification.

As things stand, we believe that the impact is as follows for grassroots rowing clubs and university rowing clubs:

Club Sporting Facilities	All club sporting facilities (including club-owned landing stages) should be closed during the lockdown.
Hospitality Facilities	Club bars and catering facilities may only operate a takeaway service in line with Government advice for the hospitality sector
On-Water Activity	Crews made up of a single household (including Support Bubbles) are permitted to row, subject to any local navigation authorities, where no access to club property is required for this to safely take place.    For the avoidance of doubt, this means you can’t access boats and equipment stored in club boathouses or on racks/trailers on club property and you cannot use club-owned landing stages.
Indoor Club Activity	No activity is permitted
Competition	All rowing competition should cease during the lockdown – virtual competition (i.e. where competitors do not have to meet and can share a result whilst following the guidance above) is allowed subject to adhering to the guidance above.

There are specific rules for the provision of sports within schools – these allow for the provision of sport as part of the curriculum. Schools can offer extra-curricular activities (e.g. before and after school clubs) but they should only do so where it’s reasonably necessary to support parents to work, search for work, or undertake training or education, or where the provision is being used for the purposes of respite care. Schools are able to work with external coaches, clubs and organisations for curricular activities where they’re satisfied that it’s safe to do so during school hours.  Schools must follow their own measures from their system of controls and clubs should not feel under pressure to open their facilities to schools if it doesn’t fit with their risk assessment.

Clubs are reminded of our advice on managing and securing their facilities during a lockdown, available on page 21 of our Return to Rowing guidance.

There is an exemption to these restrictions for designated elite athletes. In rowing, these are only those senior GB Rowing Team members currently training at the National Training Centre as agreed with UK Sport. At this time these athletes are training at three locations: the National Training Centre in Caversham, Longridge and Bisham Abbey. This elite athlete exemption will not be extended beyond this definition as agreed with UK Sport.

Please note this is our best interpretation of the legislation at this point in time and may be subject to change. Clubs and members should be aware of the large fines that can be used to enforce the new legislation. We will be working to clarify the outstanding questions we have and will provide further updates as soon as we are able to. Sport England has published a number of frequently asked questions in relation to the second lockdown.

---

As a reminder, we remain committed to supporting the rowing community during this period, including:

• Our Club Support team are available to support clubs during this period and provide advice and assistance to clubs including how to apply for any Sport England funding.

• The British Rowing Club Emergency Fund application period will be extended until 1 February 2021 and we will be extending the terms of this to allow applications related to the impact of this second lockdown.

• As with the first lockdown period, Affiliated Competitions that are required to cancel due to COVID-19 will be able to rollover their Affiliation Fee from 2020 to 2021.
• We will hold a webinar next week to provide clubs with the opportunity to ask questions related to the new restrictions. More details to follow shortly.

The Region can confirm that the Environment Agency, Cam Conservancy and Canals and River Trust are permitting leisure use of their waterways subject to the guidance above. We assume that the Broads Authority will take the same approach.

3rd November

Following the most recent Government announcements British Rowing have issued the following update:

Update on upcoming lockdown

Whilst we wait for the Government to publish the full details of the legislation of the lockdown, we wanted to share our current understanding of the likely position

Inevitably, there is currently a high degree of uncertainty surrounding the upcoming lockdown. We are liaising, and will continue to do so, with various partners including Sport England and UK Sport to try and get as much clarity as possible. In all likelihood, total clarity will not be available until after the legislation has gone through the House of Commons towards the end of Wednesday 4 November. Clearly, this won’t give clubs a lot of time to prepare so we wanted to share the position as we understand it at this time – please note that the precise legislation has not been confirmed at this stage.

As things stand, our understanding is, it is highly likely that during the lockdown:

• Sports clubs/facilities will be required to close entirely – this includes rowing clubs and their landing stages.

• Whilst rowing in a single scull or a crew made up from a single household is not at this stage ruled out by the restrictions as personal exercise is allowed, the fact that club boating facilities will not be available means that for the vast majority of rowers this form of personal exercise will not be possible.

• the navigation authorities are not planning to close waterways specifically for the lockdown.

• University sport will not be able to take place at all.

• Sport for juniors will only be able to take place as part of the school curriculum, i.e. during PE lessons.

• British Rowing affiliated competitions will not be able to take place during the lockdown.

• The only exemptions to the above will be for designated elite athletes – the definition of this will not be changing –  in rowing, these are only those senior GB Rowing Team members currently training at the National Training Centre as agreed with UK Sport.

It is clearly hugely disappointing that, despite the incredible effort by club volunteers across the country to make facilities COVID-Secure, these facilities will now be told to close for the period of this new lockdown. We made an urgent request to the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for access to the minimum facilities required for boating to be considered to allow for personal exercise. This message has also been shared by multiple sporting organisations including the Sport and Recreation Alliance. Despite our request and the efforts of the sports sector as a whole, the sense we get at the moment is that the Government is not willing to grant any exemptions or change direction.

We are also concerned that many schools, who operate out of community rowing clubs, will be locked out of the sport for the period of the lockdown. 

There are still a number of unanswered questions about the precise nature of the lockdown and as soon as we have clarity we will share more detailed guidance.

We wanted to share this message today to allow clubs to start making what preparations they can for lockdown. Given the potential that sculling may be possible from public slipways and private land (subject to any rules set by navigation authorities), clubs may wish to consider whether they have time and whether it is practical to allow members to collect any boats or equipment before the lockdown starts at 00.01 on Thursday 5 November. If you are a club member, please wait to hear from your club and bear in mind that your club’s volunteers will only be hearing this now too and will need time to put in place any arrangements, should they be able to facilitate this for their members.

It is anticipated that the Government will publish more detail of the new lockdown on Thursday and we will provide further clarification and update our guidance accordingly. 

We recognise the massive impact that this advice will have on the rowing community but are confident that, as before, the rowing community will pull together to support each other and ultimately, when the time is right, to get the sport we love back up and running again.

As always, we remain committed to supporting the rowing community during this period, including:

• Our Club Support team remains available to support clubs during this period and provide advice and assistance to clubs including how to apply for any Sport England funding.

• The British Rowing Club Emergency Fund application period will be extended until 1 February 2021 and we will be extending the terms of this to allow applications related to the impact of this second lockdown.

• As with the first lockdown period, Affiliated Competitions that are required to cancel due to COVID-19 will be able to rollover their Affiliation Fee from 2020 to 2021.

17th October

Further advice has been received by British Rowing who have updated their guidance as follows:

Indoor Training

Following clarification by Sport England, indoor rowing training and use of club gyms are permitted in high and very-high risk areas (unless specific additional restrictions exist in the local area beyond the standard national tiered restrictions) subject to the advice in our Return to Rowing guidance. This activity can continue with appropriate numbers based on the size of the venue, provided that people are in separate groups of up to six people, or larger groups if they’re from the same household or support bubble, which do not mix (i.e. remain socially distanced at all times).

Sport England have produced a helpful FAQ in relation to coronavirus restrictions including the new Local COVID Alert Levels:

• Sport England COVID-19 FAQ 

14th October

British Rowing have issued the following update

Return to Rowing: New UK Government Local COVID Alert Levels

Following the publication of the Government’s new Local COVID Alert Levels, we have assessed their application to rowing activity

On 12 October, the UK Government set out a new three-tier Local COVID Alert Level system that sets base COVID-19 restrictions for each local area in England. The three tiers are medium risk, high risk and very-high risk and for each of these specific levels we have assessed the impact of the restrictions on rowing activity:

Local COVID Alert Level	Government wording in relation to organised sport	Advice on application to rowing activity
Medium risk	exercise classes and organised sport* can continue to take place outdoors, or indoors if the rule of 6 is followed	Follow the guidance as set out for the current phase in our Return to Rowing guidance
High risk	exercise classes and organised sport* can continue to take place outdoors. These will only be permitted indoors if it is possible for people to avoid mixing with people they do not live with or share a support bubble with, or for youth or disability sport	Follow the guidance as set out for the current phase in our Return to Rowing guidance except for in relation to indoor training where households should not mix (with the exception of youth or disability sport).   Check any specific local restrictions for your area which may further restrict rowing activities.
Very-high risk	exercise classes and organised sport* can continue to take place outdoors. These will only be permitted indoors if it is possible for people to avoid mixing with people they do not live with (or share a support bubble with), or for youth or disability sport	Follow the guidance as set out for the current phase in our Return to Rowing guidance except for in relation to indoor training where households should not mix (with the exception of youth or disability sport).   At this level, travelling outside or into the “very high-risk area” is advised against and therefore this should be taken into account when considering taking part or organising competitions.   Check any specific local restrictions for your area which may further restrict rowing activities.

* For the avoidance of doubt, activities run under British Rowing’s Return to Rowing guidance is classified as ‘organised sport’

In addition to the sport-specific guidance, rowing clubs will also need to consider the guidance for hospitality venues in relation to club bars and catering facilities. In the medium and high risk areas, this means these must close at 10 pm and must be table-service only; in very-high risk areas, bars must close, except where operating as a restaurant.

The advice set out above is simply what British Rowing believes to be allowed and not allowed by the rules. Clubs and competitions must carry out their own risk assessment taking into account all local information. We are expecting to receive additional guidance later this week from Government/Sport England and will continue to review the situation as more information becomes available.

Please note that, as well as Local Restrictions, university and school rowing clubs must consider their own educational establishment’s COVID risk assessments and procedures. 

For more information on the Local COVID Alert Levels please see the following GOV.UK links:

• Local COVID alert levels – What you need to know
• Find out the Local COVID Alert Level for an area by postcode

Given the recent changes to Government guidance, we will be reviewing our Return to Rowing guidance and the phasing framework within it over the coming week to ensure it is as easy to use and as helpful as possible in the context of the new Local COVID Alert Levels structure.

30th September

British Rowing has released Version 7 of the Return to Rowing Guidance.

This contains updates and new information on:

• NHS QR Codes
• Extension of Rule of 6 to indoor training
• New section in relation to beginners in crew boats
• Links to example documentation and updates following the recent test event
• Further detail on spectators at events

You can download this document from the BR website or from here

24th September

Following the publication of the details of the new COVID-19 measures announced by the UK Government, British Rowing have clarified the effects on the rowing community.

• Outdoor sport organised under national governing body guidance continues to be exempt from the ‘rule of six’.  Based on this, both crew boat rowing and rowing competition may continue with groups larger than six when following our Return to Rowing guidance. When rowing in a group larger than six, you should not mingle in groups of more than six before and after the activity. For more information please see the Government website – “Coronavirus outbreak FAQs: what you can and can’t do”

• There is also a specific exemption from the ‘rule of six’ for “work, or the provision of voluntary or charitable services” – this allows for those involved in the organisation of the rowing activity including competitions (e.g. coaches, officials) to be part of a group larger than six as long as it is in line with our Return to Rowing guidance.

• From 24 September, indoor organised sport for over 18s is now subject to the ‘rule of six’. Groups of adults within club gyms or other indoor training facilities should be limited to groups of no larger than six. Clubs may have more than one group within an area of the club providing the different groups do not mix. There is an exemption to this rule for disabled people.Sporting activity for under 18s in indoor settings should be based on an appropriate risk assessment and the Government’s guidance for out of school settings.

• Club bars and catering facilities must continue to follow the appropriate guidance from the Government for bars and restaurants and, from 24 September, will be required to close no later than 10pm.

• From 24 September, clubs are required to display an official NHS QR code to support NHS Test and Trace. This should be provided alongside an alternative method for members to provide contact details for this purpose. You can read more about these requirements here and create your QR code here. We are seeking further clarification with regards whether different areas of the club (e.g. club bar) should display separate QR codes.

The clarifications above will be included in the next version of the Return to Rowing guidance alongside learnings from the test competition held last weekend. This version is due for publication at the start of the week commencing 28 September.

16th September

British Rowing’s Return to Rowing guidance has been updated to version 6.1. This provides clarification on a number of areas identified via feedback including:

• The process for competitions (Affiliated Competitions & Private Matches) to demonstrate they are COVID- Secure
• Group sizes
• Changing room use
• Spectators at competitions

As usual, all changes in this version are highlighted in yellow and a full list of changes is contained in the appendix at the end of the document.

The document is available from the British Rowing website or from this link. Please also note the contact details given below in order to get the best possible response.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the whole rowing community for their understanding, patience and responsible application of the guidance over the past few months. By sensibly applying the guidance we are all able to help keep each other safe whilst getting back to rowing.

---

What to do if you have questions?

If you are…

• an individual member – you should contact your club in the first instance to understand their COVID-Secure protocols.
• a club (including a school or university boat club) – please contact our Club Support team via clubsupport@britishrowing.org

an event or competition – please contact our competitions team via onlineentry@britishrowing.org 

14th September

British Rowing clarifies the effect of new Government Guidance

Organised sport, including rowing, is exempt from the new limitations on group sizes, however, clubs should remain vigilant and consider how the new rules may affect other parts of their activities.

British Rowing has clarified that new legal limitations on group sizes in England will not affect organised sporting activity and as such no changes will be made to the Return to Rowing guidance in relation to either competition or club activity. This is because a club/competition following our guidance will have appropriate COVID-Secure precautions in place. As stated in our guidance, group sizes and mixing between different groups should be kept to a minimum.

Clubs should remember that whilst an exemption is in place for organised sporting activities, the new rules do apply to the social activities of clubs. For example, no groups larger than six should be meeting within the club’s social facilities.

The British Rowing COVID-19 Situational Review Group met on Monday 14 September to assess the latest information available and it was agreed that our Return to Rowing plan will continue as originally timetabled. As such the move to larger private matches in Phase G, scheduled for Monday 14 September will come into effect as planned. It should be noted that should it be required British Rowing may decide to halt or reverse the guidance at any time, subject to updates from the UK Government.

26th August

British Rowing has issued  Version 6 of the Return to Rowing Guidance.

DCMS have now approved the proposals for a return to competition submitted by British Rowing and this issue includes a timetable, and  extensive and detailed advice for both competition organisers and attending clubs.

This version also includes advice for Clubs seeking to run virtual General meetings, schools wishing to run indoor rowing competitions, opt-ins and record keeping. This is available from the British Rowing website or downloaded from the Eastern Region website here.

13th August

British Rowing have updated the Return to Rowing advice to version 5.2. There are three updates in this version:

• An update to the current phase description to reflect the move to Phase E
• Enhanced advice for coxes
• Addition of notes about fixed seat rowing

You can download a copy of this from the British Rowing website or directly here.

British Rowing is still awaiting feedback from DCMS on proposals for a return to competition. As and when these are approved they will be incorporated into the advice will be published as version 6.

12th August

British Rowing, working with the CPGA, has clarified the schedule for a return to crew boat rowing for the fixed seat and gig rowing community.

British Rowing recommends that fixed seat and gig rowing clubs apply the advice set out in the ‘Coronavirus Advice – Returning to Rowing’ document. As with all clubs, the advice should be used to form an appropriate risk assessment for the local environment the club operates in. 

Clubs should base their return to crew boat rowing on the following timetable:

Phase	Timing	Allowed Boats
Phase D	from 1 August	No boats with more than two rowers, no coxed boats
Phase E	from 15 August	No boats with more than five individuals
Phase F	from 29 August	All boats allowed

 
Particular considerations for fixed seat boats are:

• Wherever possible at least two metres should be maintained between individuals, however, where this is not possible during launching/lifting, mitigations should be taken such as wearing face coverings.
• When in the boat, individuals should maintain the maximum distance possible and avoid face-to-face contact as much as possible e.g. avoid turning to speak to a crew member or stopping for prolonged periods.

The next iteration of the British Rowing ‘Returning to Rowing’ document will be updated to reflect the advice above for fixed seat rowing.

11th August

British Rowing is extending the suspension of Affiliated Competitions until the end of September, however, a proposed timetable has been submitted to the Government for a phased return to competition.   At this stage, we are extending our suspension of Affiliated Competitions until the end of September. We have submitted a proposed timetable for a return to competition to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and will publish this as soon as we have feedback from the Government on this.   As part of this proposed timetable, and in order to ensure we are providing the best possible advice for competitions on how to be COVID Secure, we will be holding up to two test events before the full return of Affiliated Competitions. British Rowing will directly approach the organisers of these events in the near future and feedback from these will be used to improve the advice we provide to competition organisers.

July 31st

Following the announcements from Government over the last 24 hours British Rowing has issued a statement and revised Guidance (5.1) which can be found here.

There have been no specific changes to the UK Government advice for sport and therefore we will proceed cautiously to Phase D from 1 August and continue to review the situation

We would remind clubs of the importance of following both the Government and our advice to keep rowing clubs COVID-Secure. Given the speed of Government announcements in recent days, we also remind clubs that it is vital that their plans are easily reversible so that they are able to respond to any changes at a national or local level quickly

Can I also remind clubs of the forthcoming Sharing Good Practice session on 3rd August – registration is still open and we welcome all clubs seeking to share their thoughts and practices.

July 24th

Following the release of the latest Guidance Tracy Muir and Louise Rivett will be facilitating a further Open Forum on 3rd August at 18.00-19.30. Further details and registration here

July 23rd

Having received feedback from the DCMS, British Rowing has updated the Return to Rowing guidance specifically in relation to crew
boat rowing. The advice sets out a phased approach to the re-introduction of crew boats starting with coxless pairs and doubles before
gradually moving up to eights and octuples. Please note, none of the changes published today come into effect until 1 August

You can download this version, v5 here or from the British Rowing website

The advice requires clubs to put in place a number of measures to ensure that the risk of transmission of the virus through crew boat
rowing is reduced. These measures may take your club some time to put in place so please be patient with your club volunteers as
they work to understand and implement the requirements. The timetable set out in the advice defines the earliest time that your club
reintroduces the different types of crew boats but clubs may wish to take more time to ensure everything is in place. Clubs should also
be conscious of any local conditions, for example ‘local lockdowns’, that may mean they need to adapt the advice accordingly.

A further webinar will shortly be announced to address questions arising from the guidance.

July 17th

British Rowing has updated the guidance for the rowing community to recognise the upcoming changes to restrictions related to indoor sports facilities. Version 4.2 can be downloaded frm the BR site here

This version reflects the changes to Government guidance with regard to indoor facilities and gyms, but also contains important new material on

• mental health guiidance
• sharing risk assessments
• test and trace
• social distancing re face masks

and links to further guidance.

British Rowing has made a submission to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in relation to the ‘teamsport’ aspects of rowing. This submission relates particularly to crew boats in a rowing context. We are currently awaiting feedback from the DCMS review of this proposed advice and will publish as we are able to.

July 11th

The latest ER Sharing Good Practice ‘Return to Rowing’ forum took place on 9th July.
Among the topics discussed were :- Membership fees- Indoor gyms and other areas indoors- Support for coaches- Club constitutional issues- Crew boats
Notes from the session are available here

July 10th

British Rowing have issued a statement responding to the revisions to Government policy announced last night.

British Rowing welcomes last night’s statement from Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, announcing plans for re-opening more of thesport and recreation sector.

The updated guidance from the Government covered two main areas:

● Indoor gyms and training facilities may open from 25 July, subject to following the Government’s advice on being COVID-19 Secure.

● Governing Bodies (i.e. British Rowing) must submit a plan to receive Government permission to restart team-versions of theirsports. In rowing, we would consider this to be crew boat rowing and competition.

On the basis of these changes, we have updated our guidance to explicitly rule out crew boats (until a plan for this has been approved by the Government) and published this as version 4.1. We will provide a further update towards the end of next week related to other aspects of the Government advice including indoor facilities and gyms.

Full details of the statement are available here where you can also down load the latest version of the Guidance

June 30th

The next in our series of Sharing Good Practice sessions will take place on 9th July. Full details on our Sharing Good Practice page here

June 29th

Following the recent changes to guidance from Government British Rowing has revised the document Coronavirus Advice: Return to Rowing.

This is a significant revision – changes include a move to Phase C as defined in the document; important advice on the issue of crew rowing; the necessity of being able to reverse any changes should circumstances demand; revised advice on the potential to open indoor facilities including toilets, gyms and bar areas; clarification on the use of launches. Cubs are strongly recommended to consider the implications of this advice for their activities.

This latest document can be found on the British Rowing website or you can download the latest document here.

The statement on the BR website includes an extension of the suspension of competition to 31st August.

Sport England continues to provide a number of tookits to help clubs through the current difficulties. There are a diverse range of resources and it is worth reviewing if you are not already aware. The site is here.

June 25th

Following the recent announcement from Government British Rowing has issued the following statement:

Whilst a number of the changes were widely expected, others, such as the continued closure of many sports facilities, were not anticipated.

We are now waiting for the details of aspects of the new advice to be published and are reviewing how these apply to the rowing community in England. We will publish updated advice for the rowing community on Monday 29 June.

The Region will notify clubs as soon as possible and will link to fresh guidance here.

On Wednesday 1st July, 7pm there will be the next in the series of webinars – this one on Return to Coaching. Highly recommended – further detail to follow.

The Environment Agency have issued fresh guidance to boaters (principally the motor boat community). This anticpates that commercial hire of boats will be possible from 4th July. You can download the guidance here

June 15th

Next Open Forum date announced – session will focus on the British Rowing Guidance v3 – details on our Sharing Good Practice page

June 12th

British Rowing have refreshed the Return to Rowing guidance to version 3, with additional advice for coaches and for clubs supporting coaches.

Additional content and changes are highlighted throughout and identified in Appendix 3.

You can access the document on the British Rowing website here or download the version distributed today here

June 10th

The Government has provided guidance on ‘bubbles’ – meeting people from outside your household. It is published here.

June 6th

The Environment Agency have issued this updated Guidance Note for waterway users and accompanying flyer. These are principally addressed to the motor boat community but are relevant to those Clubs considering taking launches out.

Clubs will, of course, also be using the guidance on launches in the latest British Rowing document.

The EA advice includes these wise statements:

Lots of people are coming to enjoy the waterways in many different ways. Be patient at busy times and respect the need to share the waterways.

June 5th

British Rowing have published a recording of the webinar on Returning to Rowing. Highly recommended for Clubs and rowers. You can access it here

June 4th

** Update 20.00** British Rowing has launched the Club Emergency Fund to support clubs in the greatest need. You can download the criteria for applications here and the application form itself here. Full details on the British Rowing website here.

Following the changes to the UK Government’s coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance related to group sizes, British Rowing has amended advice for Phase B and created an updated Version 2 of the Return to Rowing guidance.

Changes to the document are highlighted and listed in the appendix at the back of the document. The document is available to download here and from the British Rowing website.

The Region is grateful to all the Clubs who have taken part on our series of Sharing Good Practice sessions over the last month.

The purpose of these has been to allow Clubs to share concerns, ideas, challenges and solutions arising from the current situation and applying advice and guidance to their own settings. It has been encouraging to see the detailed, thorough work that has gone into plans to return to the water.

Guidance and advice from Government, British Rowing and other sources is given in order that rowing can recommence in a safe manner while the threat level from Covid-19 remains at 4. It is in everyone’s interest that we work together to use the current guidance and existing regulations to enable participation and enjoyment without taking any unnecessary risks.

There is a great enthusiasm for getting on the water and as a Region we are proud that so many Clubs and rowers are taking the challenge of producing new procedures positively – not seeking to stretch guidance to fit any perceived need but working within it to make safe rowing possible. The Region will  not sanction any approach that seeks to ‘get away with it’.

Clubs and rowers are reminded that stepping beyond the bounds of guidance risks voiding any insurance that they may carry and opening themselves to regulatory action.

May 29th

British Rowing have today issued a further document responding to last night’s announcement from Government, summarising the existing guidance and pointing at many useful resouces.

In particular Clubs are encouraged to sign up for the Webinar on Thursday 4th June which will be YOUR chance to ask questions.

Clarification is given on the use of bleaches and disinfectants:

If using bleach, you should make sure you read the packaging carefully to understand the correct dilution. For thick bleach, a normal dilution level would be 50 parts water to 1 part bleach, however, if you are using thinner bleach you may require a more concentrated mix. Whenever using bleach you should also take care to reduce the likelihood of it running off into the waterways.

You can download the full document here or access the information on the British Rowing website.

May 26th

British Rowing will be hosting a webinar for all members of the rowing community on 4 June at 19.00 on the subject of Return to Rowing. It will be lead by Andy Parkinson, CEO, Dr. Ann Redgrave, Chief Medical Officer and Nick Hubble, Chair of the Sport Committee and will be an opportunity to ask questions about the advice recently issued. Signup will be on the BR Webinar page shortly.

Eastern Region has held a further Sharing Good Practice session, exploring Clubs’ experiences developing ‘back to rowing’ procedures and their responses to the latest guidance. You can access notes on last night’s session here.

May 22nd

British Rowing has issued new wide ranging and detailed advice and guidance to Clubs and rowers operating in the current phase of the return to rowing. These comprise Guidance, sample Club Posters and a sample Risk Assessment. These are also available on the BR website here.

It covers a very wide range of topics and Clubs will want to consider how their own plans may benefit from adjustment in the light of the new guidance.

The guidance is detailed but inevitably there will be specific scenarios that aren’t covered by the guide. The document sets out some guiding principles for decision-making in these situations. If you have any further questions then please contact clubsupport@britishrowing.org

The Region will continue to facilitate good practice and shared concerns between Clubs principally through the SGP page and the Open Forums that we are running.

** The Environment Agency have announced that powered leisure craft may make short journeys on the Great Ouse and Nene. See announcement here.

May 21st

New date for Eastern Region Sharing Good Practice – Open Forum, Return to Rowing announced here.

The latest guidance note from the Environment Agency for the waterways that the Agency has responsibility for is here. The guidance is particularly relevant for Clubs considering the use of launches.

May 19th

Eastern Region has held two Open Forums to allow Clubs to share the problems and solutions during this phase of returning to the water. Notes from these meetings are available in the Sharing Good Practice pages of this site here

This page also affords Clubs to share the procedures and documentation they have developed. These are presented unmoderated and represent the honest work of club managements doing their best to meet the desires of their members in difficult times. We should all be grateful to Committee members and others across the sport who are working so hard.

May 18th

Clubs are working hard to develop practices that will enable safe return to the water in their own settings. The Open Forum held on Saturday to share good practice demonstrated the appropriate seriousness that we are all giving to these matters.

We aim to publish the headlines from this session, together with those of the one tonight, as soon as possible.

UK Coaching has recognised the challenges presented to our overall health and well-being and has announced that their online course Mental Health Awareness for Sport and Physical Activity will be free until 31st August. Full details here

British Rowing is also working on further guidance to inform each Club’s own risk assessments and protocols for a return to rowing and Clubs are advised to take notice of these when they are published, potentially later this week, and make any necessary adjustments to their own practices.

In the meantime Clubs should make themselves aware of the Public Health Guidance on cleaning in non-healthcare settings. While this is principally aimed at decontamination it contains useful guidance on the use of cleaning materials and the disposal of waste. The Guidance is available here.

May 15th

British Rowing has issued fresh detail on plans for a phased return to rowing here. This gives further detail advice and guidance on what is currently possible and what further measures may be applicable in future phases. Clubs and individuals are strongly advised to operate within both the letter and the spirit of this and other guidance

Environment Agency on launches. EA cannot warrant the safety of the waterways and would counsel that ALL water users should operate with extra caution for obstructions and debris. On the basis of this, the EA’s view is that any activity that requires an accompanying coaching or safety launch should not be permitted for the extra risk that it brings to the launch. This advice may change quite rapidly as river inspections recommence.

In the meantime Eastern Region is offering our regional Clubs the chance to take part in an Open Forum on developing protocols for the short term. This is intended to support those officers who have primary responsibility in setting up arrangements for a return to the water. This is part of our Sharing Good Practice series – details of the 2 sessions available are here

Clubs may also wish to be aware of resources available and the Thames Regional Rowing Council has developed valuable resources here

Update May 13th

In the light of further clarification of UK Government advice British Rowing has issued a further statement on May 13th.

This advises Clubs the basis on which they may allow members to use club/shared boats (in addition to private boats) from their facilities.

Clubs should read the advice carefully and consider how they may want to take advice and proceed. This should be seen as tentative steps to allow rowing to be used as exercise in certain cases.

The full statement is here

The Department for Media Culture and Sport have also issued further Guidance with specific mention of use of clubhouses and who may row together. It is available here

We can further confirm that the Environment Agency has joined other waterways authorities in permitting water sports activities subject to adherence to the guidelines issued by government and our own governing body.

Environment Agency statement: The new guidance issued on Wednesday 13 May will allow people to undertake a number of outdoor activities which have not been allowed since lockdown measures came into force in March to limit the spread of coronavirus. Specifically, it will allow people to undertake all forms of water sports practiced on open waterways, including sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, rowing, kayaking, surfing, and paddle-boarding. We continue to encourage all waterways users to respect the needs of our residential waterways community and maintain appropriate social distancing in line with Government guidance ‘Staying Safe outside your home’.

Clubs with queries are encouraged to contact the Region

Clubs who wish to share the approaches they have adopted are very welcome to ‘comment’ on this page.