WEST BOATHOUSE (ENGAGEMENT)
Running parallel with the buildings project, GBPT designed and delivered a three-year programme of heritage activities. While sporting heritage lay at the core of the project, the story of the river upstream of the weir –the ‘rowing reach’ – provided the most compelling and accessible vehicle for wider audience engagement. The engagement and outreach programme took a holistic, place-based approach to heritage, with activities and approaches designed to blend the cultural and natural heritage.
- Completion Date: 2023
- Project Cost: £215,000
The project also has its own dedicated website, packed with stories, resources and educational materials.
The Project
In addition to renovating and upgrading the building, the West Boathouse project also aimed to change how the boathouse is used, and who it is used by – embracing new audiences and encouraging people to re-engage with the River Clyde. The community engagement programme began in April 2019 and was completed in August 2023. Over that period, we built boats with Glasgow Disability Alliance, developed nature walks with The Conservation Volunteers, made films with local schoolchildren, celebrated the sporting heritage of the city’s east end, and catalogued and digitised the rowing clubs’ heritage collections.
Over the course of the project, over 1000 people volunteered their time in projects and activities, contributing over 3,900 hours on invasive species monitoring, boatbuilding, researching and celebrating women in sports, archiving historic collections and much more.
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Team
- Lead: Heritage Engagement Manager
Funders
- National Lottery Heritage Fund