I think English language is good but I think Parsi is the best.

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Landaff Rowing Club’s Row for Gold Regatta will feature two firsts for 2012 – the introduction of Adaptive Rowing races and an open event for sea rowers.

The two-day Regatta will take place in Cardiff on the 7th and 8th of July, and hopes to attract a diverse entry of rowers from right across the UK.

“We’re delighted to welcome adaptive rowers,” said club captain Sarah Thomas. “Dan Grant, Welsh Rowing’s adaptive coach, has been working with us for some time and we’re hoping this opportunity to compete will spark interest from adaptive athletes from well beyond the border.

“It will be interesting to have the sea rowing boats here, too.  Sea rowing clubs are thriving in Wales – not surprisingly, really,  when you think of how much coastline we have – and we’ve been promised our river rowers will get a chance to have a go too.”

The Llandaff Regatta is a Row for Gold event, as are Llandaff RC’s Learn to Row courses and the club’s popular autumn Pub & Club Regatta.

“We want to capitalise on the surge of interest we’re sure will be generated by the Olympics,” added Sarah. “This is a great chance to show everyone what a fantastic sport we have.”

For more information about the 2012 Llandaff Regatta, see the official flyer or contact Llandaff RC.

Landaff Rowing Club’s Row for Gold Regatta will feature two firsts for 2012 – the introduction of Adaptive Rowing races and an open event for sea rowers.

The two-day Regatta will take place in Cardiff on the 7th and 8th of July, and hopes to attract a diverse entry of rowers from right across the UK.

“We’re delighted to welcome adaptive rowers,” said club captain Sarah Thomas. “Dan Grant, Welsh Rowing’s adaptive coach, has been working with us for some time and we’re hoping this opportunity to compete will spark interest from adaptive athletes from well beyond the border.

“It will be interesting to have the sea rowing boats here, too.  Sea rowing clubs are thriving in Wales – not surprisingly, really,  when you think of how much coastline we have – and we’ve been promised our river rowers will get a chance to have a go too.”

The Llandaff Regatta is a Row for Gold event, as are Llandaff RC’s Learn to Row courses and the club’s popular autumn Pub & Club Regatta.

“We want to capitalise on the surge of interest we’re sure will be generated by the Olympics,” added Sarah. “This is a great chance to show everyone what a fantastic sport we have.”

For more information about the 2012 Llandaff Regatta, contact Llandaff RC.

Organisers have revealed the final details for the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, which promises to be one of the most spectacular pageants in London’s illustrious history.

The unique 1,000-boat pageant will include 20,000 participants on the water, and up to a million spectators along the banks of the River Thames.

Pageant Master Adrian Evans today revealed that 50 giant screens will be erected along the Thames to give spectators a prime view of all the day’s proceedings, and also highlighted the best vantage points to witness the seven mile long flotilla in person.

Tickets are still available for the main Diamond Jubilee Festival in Battersea Park, and can be purchased for £5 per person (children under the age of 12 can enter for free). Tickets will not be available on the gate.

For those without tickets to the Battersea Park event, road and bridge-closures either side of the river mean that large portions of central London will effectively be pedestrianised between 7am and 10pm. An interactive map outlining the best places to view the pageant from the riverside is available at www.thamesdiamondjubileepageant.org/InteractiveMap.aspx.

The pageant will begin at 2pm – weather permitting – and end at 6pm, starting at Battersea Bridge and finishing at Tower Bridge.

For a detailed overview of the June 3rd event, visit http://www.thamesdiamondjubileepageant.org/EventInformation.aspx.

The British Rowing Shape Your Sport survey has now closed, and we can reveal that Warwick Boat Club’s Paul Gosling has been randomly selected as the winner of our top prize – a £300 Amazon voucher.

Close to 1000 British Rowing members responded to the survey, and each was entered into a random prize-draw to choose one winner, and four runners-up.

The four runners-up, who each win a £50 Amazon voucher, are Samantha Fowler (Molesey BC), Nicola Hall (Curlew RC), Brian McGarry (Tees RC) and Andrew Swain (St. Chad’s College BC).

The results of the survey have provided vital information as we continue to plan for the future of our sport.

If you are a British Rowing member and would like the opportunity to take part in future surveys and prize draws, go to the Contact Preferences section of your membership page and ensure that the appropriate boxes are ticked.

London Youth Rowing (LYR) has been shortlisted in the Observer Ethical Awards 2012, recognising the charity’s attempts to make ‘sustainable change a reality’.

LYR is one of the capital’s leading charities engaged in developing young people through rowing, and encouraging children from some of London’s most deprived areas to have a go at the sport.

With coaches placed in schools throughout East London, LYR uses indoor rowing machines and organised trips to give many pupils their first taste of rowing – both competitive and recreational.

Earlier this month, LYR and EDF took 40 East London school children to Eton Dorney for the final of the EDF Community Rowing Challenge.

Watched over by Sir Steve Redgrave and the GB Rowing Team’s Katherine Grainger, the young rowers marked the end of a four-month training programme with a thrilling final race – celebrating their commitment and dedication to a sport that few had previously tried.

LYR also runs the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships, as well as providing participating youngsters the opportunity to take part in large scale river-based events, including the Lord Mayor’s Show and the Olympic Torch Relay.

The Observer Ethical Awards, now in their seventh year, seek to celebrate individuals and charities that support and further ‘ecological and social justice.’

The Awards consist of a mix of reader-voted and judged categories, which were judged earlier this month by a panel of experts and ethically-minded celebrities.

The winners in each category will be announced at a ceremony in London, on Wednesday 30th May 2012.

For more information about the awards and to see the 2012 shortlist, visit www.guardian.co.uk.

Despite the rising cost of attending the World Pilot Gig Championships, over 1500 rowers and many more spectators flocked to the Isles of Scilly on the 4th May.

In the lead up to the championships, the organising committee had hit back at comments suggesting that the event could move to Weymouth in future years. Although the latter would be a cheaper solution, many who have attended the championships would agree that there is a certain magic to the atmosphere surrounding the competition based on the islands.

2012 saw the first time a ‘Supervets’ category has been officially recognised, with additional prizes for crews made up of rowers aged 50 and over. The Friday evening saw mostly fine conditions with gusts causing a manageable chop for crews. 59 Ladies’ Veterans (40+) crews lined up at the St.Agnes start line alongside 6 Supervet crews, and the flag dropping at 6.30pm signalled the start of the 2012 World Championships.

The crew from Mounts Bay in the Cormoron stormed to an early lead, not once looking challenged on their way to a comfortable victory. The race for second was much tighter, with several crews battling for the silver medal. Helford eventually came out on top, followed by Wolf of Salcombe. The Fowey ladies in Troy were the first Supervets home.

The Men’s Veterans were up next and – with several crews taking the decision to train solely for the Vets event – the expectation was that this would be an interesting battle. The Men’s Vets didn’t disappoint, as crews from Roseland, Caradon and Flushing and Mylor raced closely for the entire 1.59 nautical mile course. Spectators were on the edge of their seats as the race came closer to the quay with Roseland pipping Caradon by less than a length to take the gold. Flushing and Mylor came in third despite having to replace one of their rowers that week. Helford were the top placing Supervet crew, finishing a highly credible fifth place in the main race – from a field of 48 Veteran and 16 Supervet crews.

After the excitement of Friday’s Veterans racing, all eyes turned to Saturday and the start of the main event – the Men’s and Women’s World Championship races. 125 Ladies’ and 120 Men’s crews lined up at St.Agnes for the first-round seeding race, with crews racing the Vets course in order to be placed in tiered groups of twelve for the rest of the weekend. The race is the first to set tongues waggling, as it provides crews with their first glimpse of the competition after a long winter’s training.

With the competition’s top crews looking to qualify for the top group of 12 without exerting too much effort, Looe crossed the line first followed by Newquay and a composite crew in the Irene. The Ladies’ race was won comfortably by defending champions Falmouth, followed by Caradon in their new boat Amazon and Mounts Bay.

Rounds two and three saw crews battling to stay in their respective groups, with first and second place earning promotion and 11th and  12th dropping down to a lower group.

By Sunday afternoon, the top crews could finally line up at Nut Rock to compete in the 1.16 nautical mile Championship final. The weather could not have been better, with a slight breeze and bright sunshine making for flat water.

The Ladies final saw 10 groups complete the course before Group A – the top group and 2012 finalists - were called up to their lane buoys. Falmouth had been the team to beat throughout the weekend, winning each of their races with ease. The seven crews that followed, however, had been racing closely, with just two lengths between second and eighth place. The Dutch crew, who had finished second in 2011, were favourites to challenge Falmouth.

As the fast and furious final race got underway, positions changed several times – defending champions Falmouth forging a clear lead ahead of a tight chasing pack. The runaway champions crossed the finish line to seal another comprehensive victory, a fitting end to a dominant World Championship campaign. A final push from the Isles of Scilly crew in new gig Tregarthans saw them take the silver, half a length ahead of Par Ladies who had a photo finish with Caradon for third and fourth place. The rest of the fleet came in close behind, showing how much the standard within the top flight has improved this year.

The Men’s race followed, again with 10 groups completing their respective finals before Group A lined up for the Championship race. Falmouth again looked hot favourites, with top crews Par and Caradon expected to feature strongly. However, Looe had been rowing consistently well all weekend – proving themselves to be an outside favourite. After the first half of the race, the four crews were clear of the chasing crews and seemingly on their way to a blockbuster finale. Falmouth made their move first, forging a three-length lead soon after the half-way mark. That left Par, Caradon and Looe swapping places constantly for second place. Falmouth crossed first to seal an impressive double for the club, with Looe pushing hard to secure a silver medal clear of Caradon in third – themselves mere feet in front of Par in fourth.

After a stunning weekend of racing, the final 2012 results were a testament to the amount of hard work that Falmouth put it to retain their titles. Looe Gig club more than proved their top flight credentials with a best ever result in the Men’s event, achieved by a crew whose oldest member is just 25 years old. Looe Ladies also finished in 10th place – completing a wonderful weekend for the club. This year saw some staggeringly close racing for the medal positions, with more crews stepping their training up a level to compete at the very top of the sport.

However, the real allure of the World Pilot Gig Championships remains that hundreds of crews are able to compete in their own battles, with each group providing combative and entertaining races for competitors and spectators alike. Gig Rowing is truly an all-inclusive sport, with rowers of all ages and abilities able to compete at the highest level in the World Championships.

Check out www.gigrower.co.uk for hundreds of photos from the weekend. You can also read about the experiences of two Nankersey Rowing Club rowers in the June/July Rowing & Regatta magazine.

Rhiannon Halliday, British Rowing West Region Team Leader

Sarah Outen has set off on her latest record-breaking solo row – attempting to become the first woman to row across the North Pacific Ocean.

Setting off from Choshi, Japan, on Sunday (13th May), Sarah will row 4,500 nautical miles to Vancouver, Canada. The journey is expected to take between 150 and 200 days to complete, and has only been completed twice before by solo rowers.

Sarah’s epic row will form part of a wider, two and a half year expedition – London2London: Via the World. The challenge has already seen the 26-year-old adventurer cycle and kayak more than 11,000 miles from London to Japan, and Sarah will now row and cycle the 9,000 back to London.

“The North Pacific will be the most gruelling part of my whole London2London expedition,” Sarah, who has a deep fear of deep water, says of the row. “Physically and mentally, I expect to be exhausted most of the time – the distance, the solitude, the weather conditions and my complete isolation will make it hugely challenging.  In spite of the challenges and dangers ahead, I still can’t wait to get out there.

“I am an ocean girl at heart and love being so close to the water and living to the rhythms of the wild. The energy out there is magic and the dynamics so exciting. I am hoping for some special wildlife moments and hopefully not too many storms.  But I am especially looking forward to the sunsets and the stars.”

Sarah will be entirely self-sufficient for the duration of the row, and will face a daily battle against exhaustion, dehydration, hypothermia, and the constant danger of collisions with ships, capsizing and drowning.

“Out on the ocean the biggest danger is from shipping – my boat is so tiny that it is difficult for larger vessels to see me.  Landing on the west coast of Canada will also be a huge challenge and probably the most dangerous part of the whole journey.  At least if I roll at sea there is little chance of me crashing into anything.  But perhaps the greatest challenge comes from being solo out there as I have to be everything to myself and manage every situation as best I can.  Sleep deprivation and rough weather can make that incredibly tough.”

This will be Sarah’s second ocean row – in 2009 she became the first woman and youngest person to ever row solo across the Indian Ocean from Australia to Mauritius.

For more information about Sarah’s extraordinary challenge, visit www.sarahouten.com.

As of 1st April 2012, a number of changes have been made to UKCC – the development framework that supports British Rowing’s coach-education programmes.

The minimum age for enrolment on a UKCC Level 2 coaching course is now 18. We will shortly be introducing a new training programme for 16-17 year-olds - more information will be made available at www.britishrowing.org.

Furthermore, all applicants for UKCC courses will now need to supply the names and contact details of two referees as part of the application process.

Find out more about the UCKK Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Rowing at www.britishrowing.org/education-training/coaching/level-2.

BBC Sport is encouraging sports clubs across the country to sign up to Things To Do – a free platform to advertise free or non-commercial activities.

From June 22nd, the Things To Do website will offer rowing clubs the opportunity to promote their activities aimed at engaging the public in sport.

Clubs are encouraged to sign up to the scheme and upload their free taster sessions and open days, which would then be promoted to throughout the summer by BBC Sport.

With 3.3 million unique visitors per day, the BBC Sport website would provide a substantial platform for the clubs taking part, and is a fantastic opportunity to reach out to potential recruits amongst the wider sporting community.

Not-for-profit or community sports clubs are encouraged to register and upload their activities to Thing To Do, provided they meet the following criteria:

• The activities must be run from 22nd June 2012 onwards,
• Sessions should include active participation in sport,
• They should be free of charge or run on a cost-recovery basis,
• Each session should be open to the general public, not just club members,
• Sessions must happen at a specific time on a specific date.

To find out more, and to sign up to promote your sport taster sessions, visit www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo/activitymaker.

Boatbuilder Stanley & Thomas has revealed the oars for the Royal Barge ‘Gloriana’, to be used at the head of the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in June.

An 18-man crew – led by five-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave – will row the Gloriana at the pageant, at the head of 1000 boats.

The £1m barge has been designed and built as a waterborne tribute celebrating the Queen’s 60 years on the throne, and took six months to complete.

"I became enamoured with the idea of building something timeless and got inspiration from Canaletto's paintings that showed the great barges of the 18th Century and decided to build one,” said Lord Sterling, who is behind the project that enabled the barge to be built.

"If we had to give it a style, it would be Regency. Including 18 rowers, it will carry 52 people.

"No-one's really built anything like this for 200 years and the way we've built it, it will last for 200 years if looked after.

"This has been a huge project. Something of this type would normally take a year or so to do it but we've done it in far less."

Stanley & Thomas’s J Sutton Blades, who have constructed the ornately-decorated oars for the project, have been making oars and sculls since the 1970s.

For more information about the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, visit www.thamesdiamondjubileepageant.org.

Suzanne Genery lived a colourful sporting life that began with a passion for karate and led to a lifelong career in sport, spanning elite, grassroots and community involvement and leaving a lasting legacy of excellence. It is with great sadness we report that she passed away on the evening of the 30 April 2012 after a short illness, aged 47.

Suzanne acted as a consultant to British Rowing’s coaching team and UKCC endorsement, and was leading the developments on the Level 4 Coaching course – a joint venture with the British Equestrian Federation (BEF). “Suzanne was a very special person, and will be truly missed,” said Rosie Mayglothling, Technical Co-ordinator of the GB Rowing Team.

Suzanne moved to the BEF in October 2005 as Consultant Coaching Manager before being appointed Head of Sports Development in June 2007. Jumping in with both feet, as was her way, she learnt to ride and took up the loan of a horse called Flyte, so as to fully understand the new environment that she was working in.

As an experienced coach educator Suzanne led the BEF to the development and successful delivery of an effective coaching system which has transformed the coaching landscape in the sport. To achieve this, Suzanne inspired all 18 member bodies of the BEF to form the Coaching Development Action Team. Chairing the forum with her usual tact, diplomacy and humour, Suzanne successfully implemented and sustained the first unified Equestrian Coaching Strategy with the subsequent endorsement of UKCC programmes at all three levels in 27 disciplines.

Her work was recognised in 2009 when the BEF won Governing Body of the Year at the UK Coaching Awards. Jo Jones, Coaching Systems Manager at Sports Coach UK commented "Suzanne, like no one else I know, had the unique ability to take a team with her on a journey to coaching excellence. She is a great loss to British sport; her leadership, enthusiasm, passion and determination for coaching should be an example to us all. I have such fond, warm and funny memories of the most energetic, witty, warm, generous and caring lady I have ever met."

As well as her role as consultant for British Rowing, Suzanne worked tirelessly mentoring and supporting other sports to develop their coach education structure. She played an integral role in the Coaching Standards Group and was a member of the Government's Coaching Legacy Steering Group (chaired by Steve Redgrave) and the Coaching Excellence Working Group.

Andrew Finding, Chief Executive of the BEF commented: "Suzanne has been a powerful, loyal, professional and joyous member of our equestrian family, to the world of sport and to coaches and coaching people. Her loss will be hard to measure for us all both as friends, sportsmen and women and professionals in the sporting community."

Suzanne was a true professional and her accomplishments, as well as the spirit in which they were achieved, will continue to shape the lives of many friends, colleagues, coaches and athletes sport wide. She brought her lively, generous personality to everything she did and it is perhaps for this that she will be so fondly remembered and most missed. Her special brand of humour and wit - often gloriously inappropriate - and a penchant for self coined 'career limiting moments' (particularly in the presence of her CEO) endeared her to all who had the joy of knowing her.

As one colleague summed up: "A light to lighten the world has been extinguished... it was a privilege and a pleasure to work with this very special person who managed to combine sheer professionalism with total madness and do it all with such aplomb."

A dozen school pupils from inner-city London have tried their hand at gig rowing, spending a week in Cornwall to have a go at one of the region’s historic sports.

Twelve students and two staff members from Phoenix High School, Shepherd’s Bush, travelled to Cotehele Quay for a week of gig rowing activities, designed to challenge the pupils and introduce them to the sport.

Duchy College worked closely with the London-based school to facilitate the trip, with volunteers and coaches from Cotehele Quay Gig club putting the youngsters through their paces.

“On the Monday evening the Cornish “mizzle” eventually cleared, and we had a dry evening,” said Cotehel Quay Gig Club rower Kelly Elvidge. “On arrival, as expected there were a few nervous faces as the students eyed up the boat for the first time but once on the water Jerry (the gig club captain) soon settled any nerves by standing up and rocking the boat side to side to help demonstrate the stability of the boat.

“The group spent some time testing their rowing skills before returning to swap over rowers, so everyone had the opportunity to experience not only a true Cornish sport but also the beauty of the Cornish countryside from the river.”

The peaceful surroundings were a world away from the hustle and bustle of inner-city London, a fact not lost on the Phoenix High School rowers. “The place is amazing,” said Brittany Thomas. “It’s beautiful. I can’t believe how quiet it is.”

Great enthusiasm was shown by all involved – from the students to the tutors and volunteers. Many of the pupils rowed late into the evening, opting for additional sessions at the end of long days out on the water.

“We are very grateful to Cotehele Quay Gig Club for all their time and effort in providing a wonderful opportunity for this group,” said Duch College staff member Charles Atkinson. “Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the evening and it is definitely something we hope to repeat in the future.”

If you would like to try gig rowing for yourself, use our Club Finder to contact a gig rowing club or email rhiannon.halliday@britishrowing.org.

16 May 2012

Hundreds of Romani families are trapped in a cycle of forced evictions in Italy.

Forced eviction of Romani families living in an informal camp in via Severini, in Rome, on 26 March 2012.© Amnesty International

Hundreds of Romani families are trapped in a cycle of forced evictions in Italy. Children, men and women living in informal camps are being evicted almost on a daily basis without any legal protection. Very often such forced evictions make them homeless.

Even Roma living in authorized and tolerated camps are at risk of unlawful evictions. “Nomad Plans”, foreseeing the closure of several camps in Rome and Milan, were devised under the “Nomad Emergency”, a discriminatory state of emergency adopted in May 2008. Although the “Nomad Emergency” was eventually declared unlawful last November, authorities are still committed to carrying those plans forward, instead of providing remedies to those who suffered  violations, including through segregation in substandard camps, forced evictions and a decrease in security of tenure.

The Italian government has a responsibility to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of the Roma, including their right to adequate housing. But six months after taking office, the government still has to show its commitment to protecting the rights of the Roma with deeds, and not just with words.

Call on the Minister of Interior and the Minister for Cooperation and Integration to fully respect the rights of Romani children, women and men in Italy.

There's still time to enter the 2012 Tees Regatta, which will offer Adaptive Rowing races in single and doubles.

The event - held over a four-lane, 850m course on the River Tees - is scheduled to take place on Saturday 26th May, with racing in adaptive singles and doubles from 12:30pm.

The Tees Regatta is over 100 years old, and attracts over 330 competitors to one of the few multi-laned events in the North East.

Entries to the regatta are still being accepted via British Rowing Online Entry, and are due to close at 10pm on Thursday 17th May 2012.

For more information, visit www.teesrowingclub.co.uk.

To find out more about Adaptive Rowing, contact madeleine.millichap@britishrowing.org.

Recent heavy rainfall has forced the cancellation of a number of rowing events this weekend, including regattas at Shrewsbury, Bedford, and Thames Ditton.

The River Severn is one of a number of UK waterways prompting significant safety concerns as a result of the wettest April on record, and the conditions have resulted in the cancellation of the Shrewsbury Regatta for the first time in its history.

“Our concern is the safety on and off the water of competitors, and we have decided that... we will not be able to put the necessary safety [precautions] in place to ensure safe racing on Saturday,” Shrewsbury Regatta secretary Ali Thomas told Shropshire Live.

“In addition our trailer parking area is waterlogged, as is the car park. Watching two Land Rovers sliding all over the place without a trailer on the back has convinced me that there is no way we can safely park trailers.

Bedford Rowing Club has also been forced to cancel its 2012 Regatta, owing to the unrowable conditions on the River Great Ouse.

“Every effort has been made to hold this event,” said a statement on the Bedford RC website. “Ultimately it was decided that the stream in the Start Marshalling area was too fast to safely marshal boats, spin them, and attach to the stakeboats.”

The Organising Committee of the British Rowing Masters Championships has announced a record entry for 2012, with over 650 crews taking part.

Entries to the Championships – which will be held on Sunday 20th May at the National Water Sports Centre, Nottingham – closed on Wednesday, and this year’s event will boast over 100 more crews than in 2011.

The draw will take place on Saturday 12th May, and will be posted on the British Rowing Masters Championships website on Sunday evening (13th May).

This year’s Championships are part of British Rowing’s Row for Gold – bringing the magic of this year’s summer of sport to communities across the country.

Find out more about Row for Gold at www.britishrowing.org/taking-part/row-for-gold.

The Peterborough May Regattas will offer Adaptive Rowing this year, with TA (trunks and arms) and AS (arms only) racing scheduled for Sunday May 27th.

The regattas – held over two days, starting May 26th – attract entries from across the UK to the purpose-built rowing lake at Thorpe Meadows, Peterborough.

As well as a full complement of able-bodied racing over 1000m, organisers will also consider entries from Adaptive doubles and coxed fours, in TA, AS, and LTA (legs, trunks, and arms) categories.

For more information about the Peterborough Regattas, view the official poster or visit the Peterborough City Rowing Club website.

To find out more about Adaptive Rowing, contact madeleine.millichap@britishrowing.org.

Durham University claimed an imposing victory at the BUCs Regatta over the bank holiday weekend, taking the Victor Ludorum with an imposing 1145 VL points.

A 21-medal haul (including 10 silver and eight bronze) saw Durham’s crews top the points table at the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham, ahead of North East rivals Newcastle (866 VL points) and the University of London (828 VL points).

However, despite the success of the reigning champions in the race for the Victor Ludorum and BUCs points, the gold medal table had an entirely different complexion.

Loughborough topped the rankings with seven gold medals and three silvers after a dominant display in the small sculling boats – taking gold in the MC1x, MLwt1x, Mint1x, WC1x, MC2x, Mint2x and MLwt2x.

The weekend also saw a glut of notable performances from the University of London, whose 18-medal haul put them second in the overall medal table – five of their six gold medals coming in the lightweight events.

Strong displays from Reading (five golds in the women’s events) and Newcastle (four golds in the men’s) also saw them sitting above Victor Ludorum champions Durham in the medal table, with Imperial and Queen’s Belfast also enjoying four gold medals apiece.

Amongst Reading's five gold medals was another triumph in the Women's Championship Eight - extending the crew's undefeated season after similar victories in the Women's Head University Pennant and the BUCs Head of the River Race.

University of Reading Director of Rowing Will Rand said: "I am extremely proud of the whole squad. The results are testament to the huge amount of work and enormous commitment of everybody concerned with RUBC. Our women's squad is truly one of the best in the UK while our men's squad is young but very talented. We are looking forward to seeing it develop over the next few years."

Despite an imposing field, Newcastle University managed to hold onto their Men’s Championship Eights crown, ahead of crews from Durham (who finished 3.59 seconds slower, in second place) and the University of London (who finished a further 1.23 seconds back in third).

With more than 944 crew entries from close to 70 different institutions, crews from right across the country tasted success over a hugely entertaining three days of racing.

Crews from as far afield as Queen’s Belfast, Aberdeen, Plymouth, and Cardiff travelled to Nottingham for the prestigious regatta, with some bringing single entries and others bringing up to 74 in pursuit of BUCs medals.

The University of East London was one of the institutions to bring a smaller selection of crews to Nottingham, but the tactic paid off as the small squad claimed two gold, two silver, and two bronze medals in targeted events.

A record number of photo-finishes saw 16 different universities claiming at least one gold medal – including a memorable gold in the Men’s Beginner Eights for Southampton Solent – and a further 11 different universities leaving with a medal of any colour.

For the full results from the regatta visit www.bucs.org.uk, and race videos and photos are available on the Wessex Rowing Facebook page.

The 2012 BUCs Regatta was a Row for Gold event - making sure rowers across the country feel a part of this exciting year of sport. For more information about Row for Gold, visit www.britishrowing.org/taking-part/row-for-gold.

The latest edition of The Stream is on its way – bringing all the latest news from British Rowing direct to your inbox!

The May Stream is packed with news and information as the long-awaited summer of 2012 finally swings into focus, including:

• An exclusive article by Jim Harlow, Chairman of the British Rowing Championships, explaining the thoughts and processes behind this year’s much-talked-about event,
• A brand new Fuel Up! recipe, tailor-made for rowers by our expert nutritionists,
• The chance to win one of five Air Head visors, courtesy of Crewroom,
• Jobs and Scholarship opportunities in the UK and further abroad – including rowing positions in Australia and New Zealand,
• Information about the 2012 Volunteer Awards – the perfect chance to recognise your club’s unsung heroes.

The Stream is a free e-newsletter for all members of British Rowing, providing a monthly fix of rowing news and views direct to your inbox*. Find out more about the benefits of British Rowing membership.

*If you are a British Rowing member and do not currently receive The Stream, check that the ‘General British Rowing Newsletter’ box is checked in the ‘Contact Preferences’ section of your account.