Students are getting ready to renew their sporting rivalry, as they prepare for the fifth annual Universities at Medway Boat Race which begins at 10am on Saturday, 14 May.
Once again the event is being sponsored by The Rochester Bridge Trust, joined this year by the Chatham Maritime Trust and Southern Water. The trophies and medals have been created by Medway artist Paula Groves and will be presented by Tony Goulden, Assistant of the Rochester Bridge Trust, Tony Clayton, Trustee of Chatham Maritime Trust, and Beverley Thompson, Senior Public Relations Manager of Southern Water.
The race is now a firm fixture in Medway’s social and sporting calendar. Trained by coaches at Medway Towns Rowing Club, student rowers from the three universities that share the campus at Chatham Maritime—University of Greenwich, University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University—will battle it out for the right to call themselves Heads of the River in Medway.
Both women’s and men’s races will take place, with rowers once more tackling a course of approximately 3.3 kilometres, between Cuxton and the Rochester Esplanade.
The event has been organised by Universities at Medway Students’ Association (UMSA), which represents all students at the shared Medway campus. UMSA’s Activities Co-ordinator Claire Dicker said that the Medway Boat Race day had become a popular campus tradition: “The event will for the first time include a three-way men’s eight race between Canterbury Christ Church, Kent and Greenwich. A combined Universities at Medway women’s crew will also compete against a crew from the Medway Towns Rowing Club.”
Spectators can watch the races from the open area on The Esplanade in Rochester, near the Hathaway Court. There are refreshments available and many interactive activities for spectators to get involved with, including; sports massages, rowing coaching and a Wii sports tournament. The action starts at approximately 10am on 14 May, and all are welcome.
Programme of events:
10:00 Event Opens
11:00 Universities at Medway women’s crew Vs Medway Towns Rowing Club crew (4’s)
12:00 For the first time ever three-way men’s race (8’s) between Greenwich, Kent and Canterbury Christ Church.
Refreshments and entertainment will be available on the green near Hathaway Court (the finish line).
Notes to editors:
1. The Rochester Bridge Trust is a charitable trust that exists to maintain the old and new bridges at Rochester and serve the travelling public. It has served the people of Kent since 1399, and it is the only surviving bridge trust still serving its original purpose. The Trust also supports numerous community and education projects across historic Kent and Medway.
2. The Trust’s assets all derive from endowments of land and money in the 14th and 15th centuries and are carefully managed in order to provide an income to fund bridge maintenance and local charitable grants. The Trust receives no external funding and is regulated by the Charity Commission.
3. The Trust consists of members of the three local councils in the area – three nominated by Medway Council, two by Kent County Council, one by Maidstone Borough Council, and six Trustees from the local area. All are unpaid.
For more information:
The Rochester Bridge Trust
5 Esplanade
Rochester
Kent ME1 1QE
Tel: 01634 846706
Fax: 01634 840125