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Ely Boathouse Groundbreaking Ceremony

On the 21st November I woke up to find it pouring with rain in Ely. Hardly the sort of weather you’d want for a ground-breaking ceremony for the new University Boathouse, even if it would soften up the ground slightly. Luckily the clouds cleared by midday to leave behind an extremely cold and windy but thankfully bright afternoon.

Cycling along Queen Adelaide way I was a bit concerned that I wouldn’t be able to find the location for the new Boathouse but I needn’t have worried. The Morgan Sindall signs were clear to see, and the sea of Light Blue jackets and wellies were hard to miss.

An impressive number of current and former rowers had turned out to support the event – over 100 in total - and I got talking to a couple who had both rowed for the teams in the early 1980s, as well as a number of current rowers and their coaches and supporters. What was clear to see was the passion that everyone felt for the project. After eight years of fundraising, with donations having come from hundreds of Cambridge alumni and alumnae as well as the University, the clubs will have a two-storey, four-bay boathouse that will be ready to use by the start of the 2016/17 academic year.

Ewan Pearson, a Cambridge Blue and chairman of the project, said: “We are delighted to have selected Morgan Sindall to construct this boathouse; it will bring our three clubs together under one roof for the first time. We have now reached the final stage in the development of new and world-class facilities for the scholar-athletes from the three clubs that row for the University against Oxford in the annual Boat Races. These facilities will greatly help us to boost our competitiveness.”

Bob Ensch, area director at Morgan Sindall, said: “We’re very pleased to be starting work on this important scheme which means so much to both current and former rowers. The boathouse has an important role to play as the hub and heart of the crews’ activities. These are athletes of the highest calibre and the Boathouse has been designed to provide future generations of Cambridge rowers with a great base from which to train for the next 100 years. The three rowing squads will be able to start using the site from the beginning of their academic year as they start their preparation for the 2017 boat races.”

It was fantastic to be able to witness such an important moment in the history of the University Boat Clubs. As everyone celebrated with cups of tea and a bit of cake, I battled the wind to cycle back home again, happy in the knowledge that a new home for the Clubs is on my doorstep, and I can’t wait to go back when it opens its doors.

- by Lauren Thomas