Saturday 18th June saw a double celebration for Banbury and District Canoe Club. Not only was the club able to celebrate the rescue of its premises, guaranteeing the club’s survival, after months of uncertainty, but it was also able to celebrate the 79th birthday of one of its oldest and most influential paddlers, Neville Simmons. Despite illness, Neville has continued to coach and paddle whenever he can, and the club was keen to demonstrate its great affection publicly. Neville’s contribution to the club has been immense, both as a trustee and as a passionate advocate and coach of flat water racing.

Despite heavy rain showers, which periodically threatened to dampen events, the great and the good of the canoeing world, as well as representatives of various charities and grant-awarding bodies who had helped to secure the club’s future, joined with Neville’s family and club members, to eat, drink and be merry… and in true BDCC style, there was plenty of food and fun for everyone.

The club was anxious to extend thanks to the many organisations and individuals who have, together, ensured the club’s survival at Cropredy: Banbury Charities, the British Canoe Union, the Foundation of Sport and the Arts, Oxfordshire County Council, Thames Water, the Doris Field Trust and the many supporters of the Buy a Brick campaign.

The day started, in appropriate style, as more than 40 paddlers, as well as visitors from various parts of the country, joined club members for a training session on the canal. Among the invited guests were MP Tony Baldry and Neil Brodey of Banbury Charities, who both took to the water in kayaks, to show everyone how it should be done. Then, when the paddling was over, everyone shared in a massive lunch, prepared by members, at the club’s canal-side premises.
Later, during speeches, the club took the opportunity to recognise the commitment of stalwart coach and paddler Irene Hills. It is largely due to her successes that the club now has such a solid beginner structure, which retains and encourages so many new members, both junior and senior. Later, Neville took members back to his earliest days at the club, in 1993, reminiscing that there were often no more than six paddlers on the water at any one time. Now, there are regularly 50 or more paddlers out on a club night, and a 60-strong team competes most weekends.

‘It was always my dream to be a top racing club’, he told club members and visitors, ‘and to be up there with the top clubs such as Wey and Elmbridge’. With evident satisfaction, he then reminded everyone that Banbury actually beat Wey, in the Hasler finals in October last year, and he threw down a further gauntlet for our visitors from Elmbridge, warning them to beware!

Likely or not, the message of the day from Banbury and District Canoe Club was definitely one of optimism: now the canoe club is secure it can look to its future; and from where they are standing at the moment, that future certainly looks bright!