About Camrowers

A Grassroots Club
Camrowers is a grassroots club run entirely by its members - all volunteers. It evolved from a GP Referral scheme in 2001 that was supported by British Rowing, Cambridge City Council and the health service. People with a variety of illnesses and disabilities had the opportunity to learn and enjoy rowing. Boats and premises were borrowed and the scheme was so successful that in 2006 Camrowers Club was formed to take recreational rowing to a wider audience. The Club started to raise funds for its own boats and to provide rowing for the Cambridge City Council Forever Active Scheme for the over 50s and the University of the Third Age in Cambridge. It became a charitable company in 2010 and by 2014 had grown to a membership of 90 members with 15 of its own boats.
After years of "camping" at a number of boatclubs and storing all its boats outdoors, Camrowers finally had the opportunity to have its own boathouse, which opened in Spring 2017. For more information about the development of the new boathouse - see here for more details.

Exercise - a "miracle cure"*
Members of Camrowers are living proof that regular exercise is "better than any drugs in preventing and combatting illness."* Many of our members row in order to recover their health or to cope with long-term illness or disability, while others are keen to keep active and healthy as they move into older age.

It is never too late to learn to row
One of the things that is special about Camrowers is its track record of enabling people to row, whatever their health problem, disability or age. We row for fitness and leisure, not for racing, and this means that people of all abilities can take part and enjoy rowing on the Cam together.

*Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Report February 2015