News

Posted: 07 August 2025

Scotland’s Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, Maree Todd MSP, recently visited Inverness Rowing Club to see first-hand the remarkable transformation of one of Scotland’s most ambitious community sports clubs.

The visit marked a celebration of the club’s extraordinary growth over the past five years - from just 65 members and no mains electricity in 2019, to a thriving hub of over 125 members, modern facilities, a growing fleet of boats, and a vibrant outreach programme serving young people and underrepresented groups across the Highlands.

With support from Scottish Rowing, sportscotland, the Inverness Common Good Fund, and an impressive mix of charitable partners including the Hargreaves Foundation, the Henley Royal Regatta Charitable Trust, and the National Schools’ Regatta, the club has undergone a significant transformation. Investments have helped deliver new changing and welfare facilities, electricity, boat storage, and a fleet of 18 brand-new training boats.

Image: Scottish Rowing. Sport Minister Maree Todd MSP in a Glide Boat on the Caledonian Canal.

Now in 2025, the club is pushing even further. A full-time Outreach Officer is now in post, working with local schools, the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), and groups including Care Experienced Young People, Young Carers, Scouts, Guides, and community youth groups. This outreach is laying the foundations for a generation of local young people to access the benefits of rowing for the first time.

Sport Minister, Maree Todd MSP said:

“Inverness Rowing Club is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when community ambition, sporting passion, and collaborative funding come together. What the club has built - both physically and socially - is nothing short of inspirational.

“Their model, with inclusion at its heart, demonstrates how sport can grow in rural communities.”

The club’s future plans are equally ambitious. They are working with Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) and have secured investment from sportscotland through the Sports Facilities Fund to improve pontoon access, ensuring rowing is fully inclusive and accessible to all. They also have exciting plans to establish a new watersports centre in Nairn, in collaboration with the local Sailing, Coastal Rowing, and Kayak Clubs, to bring Coastal Sculling - a fast-growing new Olympic rowing discipline - to communities along the Moray Firth.

Forbes Dunlop, Chief Executive, sportscotland, said:

“Inverness Rowing Club has demonstrated a real commitment to reaching as many people as possible in the surrounding communities. It is heartening to see the club go from strength to strength and their work allows so many people in the Highlands to enjoy the benefits of rowing.

“We know that sport and physical activity have an important role to play in bringing communities together and building resilience. Inverness Rowing Club and the partners they are working with are a fantastic example of that and that’s why we were delighted to provide £45,000 of National Lottery investment through our Sports Facilities Fund to support the club’s ambition to create an all-ability pontoon to improve accessibility and increase opportunities for participation."

Looking ahead, the club aims to introduce indoor rowing in schools across the Highlands and host a Highland Indoor Rowing Championships in partnership with High Life Highland.

Image: Scottish Rowing. From left to right - Lee Boucher, Scottish Rowing CEO, Sport Minister, Maree Todd MSP and Robert Gordon, President of IRC. 

Commenting on the club’s future, Robert Gordon, President of Inverness Rowing Club, said:

“Our ambition has always been to open rowing up to everyone in the Highlands. With the support of our funders and partners, we can help to improve the lives of local people through the power of sport and physical activity. The visit from the Minister is a powerful recognition of what our volunteers and community have achieved together.”

Lee Boucher, CEO of Scottish Rowing, who joined the Minister on her visit, added:

“Inverness Rowing Club shows what’s possible when a community comes together with purpose and a long-term vision. Their progress is a shining example for others - helping to grow the sport, engage young people, and expand access to opportunity and participation. Clubs like Inverness are showing how we can start to challenge perceptions about the sport and build a strong, more inclusive future for rowing.”

With rowing at its heart, the club is creating opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to connect, belong and thrive.

Image: Scottish Rowing. Robert Gordon instructing Maree Todd MSP on how to row whilst on a pontoon.