A ‘ground-breaking’ ceremony for Midlands Boat Station

Sea cadets were there to mark the beginning of work on new facilities that will bring watersports to more young people

Midlands Boat Station groundbreaking — Rough seas at the RS21 Nationals

On 14 July we achieved an important milestone on the journey towards our new residential boat station at Edgbaston Reservoir, as we marked the official start of building. Three cadets from local units took part in breaking ground with a spade, overseen by our construction team. Local councillor Sir Albert Bore also attended, saying: “I was delighted to take part in this event, celebrating the beginning of a project that will have such a significant and far-reaching impact on our local community, especially our young people. Well done, Sea Cadets!”

As well as providing access to watersports and boating for local schools and youth groups, Midlands Boat Station will be a new home for Birmingham Vernon Unit and give sea cadets across the Midlands access to inshore training, benefiting about 1,500 cadets from 37 units in the region.

The new boat station will also host our annual On The Water outreach programme, allowing us to give 600 of Birmingham’s hard-to-reach young people their first experience of kayaking or raft-building every year. And because Midlands Boat Station will provide quality equipment and expert instructors, it will help hundreds more children from lower-income families to access boating and watersports. The new boat station is set to be completed by autumn 2024.