Coracle is added to canoe club’s fleet
A BRIGHT orange coracle has been added to Hinckley Canoe Club’s fleet thanks to a community grant from the town’s Asda store.
Asda community champion Marie Eaves handed over a cheque for £200 to members of the club, whose home water, Stanton Lakes in Stoney Stanton, is used weekly by members, families and youth groups from April to September.
The money, donated through the Barwell Lane store’s green tokens scheme, has been used to buy a contemporary fibreglass version of the traditional Welsh craft, which was historically made from a light wood frame covered with canvas or hide impregnated with waterproofing pitch.
It makes a quirky addition to the club’s collection of canoes, kayaks and paddleboards, which are all available for people to try out under expert tuition on Thursday evenings throughout the season.
During winter months, the club hosts Monday evening sessions at the pool at Bosworth Academy in Desford and throughout the year organises weekend trips and stay-overs to closed waters and open rivers across the country.
Club chairman David Clarke, one of the many volunteers who run the club, said: “We owe a massive thanks to Asda for the money.
“We wanted to get something different and we think people will enjoy having a paddle in it.
“We expect it will get a lot of use at the club and hopefully on club trips.”
Members range in age from three to mid-70s and supervised family sessions are available.
The club, which promotes all kinds of paddlesports, including white water, flat water and sea kayaking, is affiliated to British Canoeing, has a Sport England club mark accreditation and a British Canoeing quality mark accreditation.
It recently benefitted from a £10,000 Sport England grant which has funded tester sessions for 14 to 24 year-olds.
Supervised sessions cost from £5 per person, with unsupervised paddles from £2.
To find out more visit www. hinckleycanoeclub.co.uk