YOUNGSTERS are being introduced to the wet and wild world of canoeing thanks to a special scheme.
The Children's Kayak Fund was set up to give local youngsters the chance to try out canoeing in a safe environment.
Chairman/founder David Shortell, who is a West Midlands police officer and a volunteer instructor at Aztec Watersports, set up the fund because he was concerned about the lack of opportunities for local youngsters to start canoeing.
"I was concerned that there is nowhere safe for children to start learning how to canoe. We want to get kids involved in water sports and pool sessions are ideal for that," he said.
David set about raising funds for the project. He received £800 from the John Martin Charity, £4,200 from the National Lottery and another £1,000 from local-fund-raising.
The fund now has eight brand-new boats and was officially launched at Evesham Swimming Pool last Saturday.
The project will involve one hour sessions at Evesham Pool and at Tewkesbury Sport Centre. The youngsters will learn everything from free-style skills to how to tackle their first time in a boat. Twelve local schools have signed up for the project and David hopes that around 400 youngsters a year will go through the scheme.
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