Rowing club's joy at weir success (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Rowing club's joy at weir success

12:00pm Wednesday 17th September 2003 in News

An historic weir in danger of collapsing has been saved securing the future of one of the oldest rowing clubs in the country.

If Hirst weir, in Saltaire, had collapsed, then the rowing club - the only one of its kind in West Yorkshire - would have been forced to close too.

Bradford Amateur Rowing Club, which has used the same stretch of the River Aire for 110 years, plays a role in the community, sharing its facilities with schools, Bradford University and other groups.

"The level of the water is preserved by the weir structure, otherwise it would be too shallow for recreation," explained club president Hugh Scott.

But damage to the weir, caused by water erosion, started to appear two years ago.

"We noticed a slight defect to the weir, and we realised it was something we would have to get to grips with before it got too bad, but it didn't look too bad at that stage," Mr Scott said.

However the following summer it was clear that the area downslope of the weir had been eroded and an engineer's report confirmed that work was necessary. Further damage had been revealed that threatened to destabilise the whole structure.

It was thought that the weir would not last this winter and it was a race against time to get the £155,000 needed for the work, which included replacing masonry and embedding boulders into the river bed to provide stability.

The club had bought the weir for a token sum and then had to search for funding.

"The money came from the community club development programme, a Government initiative to assist sports clubs in improving their facilities," Mr Scott said. "They were very clear when they gave us the money that it was for sport development, so that more people will participate in sport in the local community."

He said it was only the club's links with schools, including Salt's Grammar, Bradford Grammar and Woodhouse Grove, that enabled them to access the funds.

And those links with the community will now be developed to encourage more people to get involved with the club, including those with disabilities or who have never tried rowing before.

One such scheme has been a holiday taster scheme for 11-year-olds from Girlington and Manningham.

Mr Scott said it meant the club would now have to grow to accomodate the extra users.

The club was founded in 1867 and is the only one in West Yorkshire with open membership.

There are 120 members in the club, of which a third are juniors.

The weir dates back long before Salts Mill and is believed to have served a corn mill in previous years.