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Volunteering at York City RC

Rowing relies on many different types of volunteers to make our sport happen. We talk to Robyn Inglis about promoting York Summer Regatta during #VolunteersWeek

The takes place on Sunday 24 June. volunteer, Robyn Inglis, is the club’s press officer and is in charge of promoting the regatta.

“The cake is legendary! And our new bar will be up and running,” says Inglis, giving two reasons to sign up for York Summer Regatta in June.

Held on the River Ouse in the centre of historic York, the regatta also offers great racing and the two-lane 1km course is perfect for juniors or new rowers keen to put their skills to the test.

Inglis adds, “The finish is by our boathouse just under the bridge – 500m from York Minster – so it’s an absolutely beautiful bit of the course. There’s a wide towpath on both sides so it’s great for spectators and coaches.”

Last year the 176 entries included crews from a variety of clubs such as , , , , and several Durham colleges. Because it’s held just before the school summer holidays, there’s always a strong junior entry and students enter to squeeze in extra racing before the end of term.

But with over 100 races across three divisions, much effort goes on behind the scenes to make the regatta successful. Last year, about 100 people pitched in, helping out with catering, registration and race control, stake boats, umpiring plus, of course, all the clearing away afterwards.

We have a club that is a joy to be part of it. The best bit is that I get to share all our achievements!

After joining the club committee last September, Inglis is keen to promote the competition and club on social media.

“I took the volunteer role because I wanted to help develop our presence in the wider community. Our website is a shop window for our club in York.

“Social media can be an effective news channel, so if you’re dealing with race cancellations or draw changes, you can do it very quickly through Twitter – it’s really useful.”

Inglis is also working towards tweeting live results from the regatta for the first time.

“Last year we went to the World Masters in Bled so I asked if I could tweet the results from there. It was well received because people at home could keep up to date.

She adds, “We have a club that is so much worth celebrating so it’s a joy to be part of it. The best bit is that I get to share all our achievements!”

Fancy volunteering? Click here for more details. Or, if you’d like to find out more about how social media can help your club, then click here.