The Forth Canoe Club is situated on the Union Canal in Edinburgh. From this location the Club runs lots of different activities including courses for all ages, canoe polo club, and regular training sessions for performance kayaking slalom and sprint, and we also take members on river trips. We are really proud of our performance athletes, we have 2 young members competing Nationally in Division 1 slalom and 2 competing in Division 1 Sprint while our Polo teams are in Division 1 & 2.

We are a charity (SC050275) with 24 Volunteer Coaches and one paid one, we have 220 members, our youngest is 8 years old, and our oldest member is 75 years. We pride ourselves on being friendly and encouraging, and welcome hundreds of people to our club each year, through open days and open events. We subsidise people on low income to join in courses and this year we also set aside a pot of money to subsidise three refugee families to join in activities in the club. The take up has been really positive. This year we are really pleased to have been able to run our first ‘Green Prescription Project’ with help from Edinburgh Council Communities fund. We are working with the local Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (NHS Lothian) and also the Green team, to deliver free paddlesport sessions to young people who are struggling with their mental health. All of these initiatives are brilliant, we are really proud to be sharing our passion and sport with so many people but there is one obstacle that is hindering our progress, and that is access to our site.

The site is accessed by a steep uneven staircase with a 3.6m vertical drop, without a handrail. Once on the site it is uneven, and there is no running water or sewage. These factors are a barrier to people accessing the sport, with dignity and autonomy. We also rely on the old style of communal changing for Boys and Girls, an outdated practice which we believe hinders progress made by the club during social prescribing projects. The Access project looks to install cubicles for changing and showering to replace this. One of our members George has highlighted this issue for us. He is a university student and a keen slalom paddler and is also working towards becoming a Paddlesport Coach. However, in 2021 he was diagnosed with a form of lower body MND, which means the staircase and uneven site are a hazard for him because he walks with crutches, and he needs help carrying a boat out of the clubhouse and at times on the stairs. Once in a boat, he is effectively able bodied, and needs no further support.

Paddlesports are accessible for many people with disabilities, and our ‘it is what you can do, rather than what you can’t do approach’ to helping people, is one of the reasons our governing body the Scottish Canoe Association has asked us if we would like to be a pathway club for ParaCanoe athletes. It would be a great opportunity for the club, we have already helped one able bodied athlete reach the Commonwealth Games and Olympics selection (Euan James) it would be incredible to be able to help more athletes reach their dreams too. However, the only way we can currently work with wheelchair athletes is if they are lifted out of their wheelchair into a canoe on the opposite side of the canal and paddled over, then lifted out by the clubhouse. This takes away their independence and autonomy. We are also in discussion with Scottish Canals to re-instate the facilities block on Ashleigh Terrace, which our members utilised, and it used to contain an accessible WC and shower facility and has been closed since 2019. However with no news as to the Reopening of the facilities Forth Canoe Club want to pave the way for access and inclusivity.

Well designed access will improve the site for everyone.

The boathouse project plans to redevelop site access so that anyone of any ability and age can access the site independently, becoming not only a hub for paddlesports but a community space in which groups can share the facilities designed for accessibility. A project that is estimated to consume a large amount of capital.