Residents across Dundee are set to benefit from the launch of a new water-based community sport hub.
The Tay Estuary Water Sports Hub is the latest community sport hubs to launch in Scotland, bringing sports clubs and other community organisations together to improve the contribution that sport and physical activity has on communities.
Community sport hubs are a National Lottery-funded programme and central to sportscotland’s commitment to ensuring everyone gets the best out of Scotland’s sporting system.
The River Tay provides a wide range of water sports and activities which has led to the creation of the Tay Estuary Water Sports Hub. The hub includes organisations that support canoeing and kayaking, rowing, paddle-boarding, personal watercraft, power boating and water-skiing, sailing, swimming, wind-surfing and kite-surfing. They will encourage individuals of all ages to come and try water sports in a safe and controlled environment.
Member organisations will work together to promote water safety and develop water sports on the river. The hub will also provide support in providing the public with information to minimise the number of incidents on the water.
CSH members
- Broughty Ferry Boating
- Dundee Sailing Club
- Dundee Sea Cadets
- Dundee University Sailing Club
- Royal Tay Yacht Club
- Tay Corinthian Boating Club
- Tay Sail Training
- Tayside Sea Kayak Club
- Taymara
- YeAABA (Ye Amphibious Ancients Bathing Association)
- Valhalla Escapes
- Wormit Boating Club and Watersports Hub
The area covered by the hub on the Tay runs from Balmerino in the west to Buddon Ness and the Lady Buoys that mark the buoyed channel at the entrance to the estuary.
The hub also has advisory links with Dundee Harbour (Forth Ports), the RNLI, Leisure & Culture Dundee, Dundee City Council and the coastguard.
What they said
Stewart Murdoch, Chair of the Tay Estuary Watersports Hub, said:
"The establishment of a Watersports hub for the Tay estuary marks the first time that all the organisations which use the estuary have come together as one collaborative organisation. It has great potential for strengthening cooperation, the promotion of best practice and widening access."
Alison MacKenzie, Community Sport Hub Officer, Leisure & Culture Dundee, said:
"The creation of the Tay Estuary Watersports hub has been developed off the back of a strong desire from water sports organisations using the Tay Estuary to work in collaboration with a focus on improving water safety and the development of activities on the water.
"This is the first water sports hub in Dundee and it's a very exciting development for the city.
“Residents of all ages across Dundee will be able to support their health and wellbeing by getting out and experiencing the open waters, and I look forward to seeing the benefits for the whole community from this collaboration.”
Stewart Harris, Chief Executive for sportscotland, said:
‘’The launch of the Tay Estuary Water Sports Hub is a great development for the future of water sports in Scotland and will no doubt improve and increase the opportunities for those in the Dundee area and beyond, to participate in water sports and activities. This collaboration between organisations across the Tay, is a great example of how collective efforts can maximise resources and enable participation for all.’’
Find out more
- More information on the Tay Estuary Water Sports Hub
- For further information on water safety please visit:
