Rowing club partners with local business for towing help

Pengwern Boat Club has announced a new partnership with JT Hughes Group - with the car dealership providing a towing vehicle for rowing events - to allow club members to compete! 

The Pengwern junior squad is made up of dedicated, up-and-coming young athletes who are passionate about racing and competing, proudly representing Shrewsbury at regional and national regattas. They train hard and are committed to their sport, but financial barriers can sometimes limit participation.

Steve Mills, Captain of Pengwern Boat Club, said: “The provision of a tow vehicle has solved one of the key challenges our club has faced in recent years—getting our members, both juniors and seniors, and their boats to events. While we are fortunate to have a small number of adult members with access to towing vehicles, this has often limited our ability to attend as many competitions as we would like. There have been occasions where we have willing and qualified drivers but no suitable vehicle, meaning crews—particularly juniors—missed out on valuable racing opportunities.

“Thanks to this partnership, we now have reliable access to a dedicated tow vehicle. This has removed a major barrier to participation, ensuring our rowers can compete more regularly and at a wider range of events. For our juniors especially, this is transformative: it gives them the chance to race more often, gain experience, and enjoy the rewards of representing the club.

 “We are deeply grateful for this support. It not only helps us logistically, but it also strengthens the sense of opportunity and inclusivity within the club. Quite simply, without this generosity, some of our members, particularly junior members, would not have the chance to compete.”

Helen Watkinson, Chair of Pengwern Boat Club, adds: “‘We are truly grateful to JT Hughes for their generosity in providing us with a towing vehicle. Racing is a huge part of club life at Pengwern and with the varied squads in the club from Juniors, Seniors to Adaptive it will allow us to tow our two trailers either to the same event or different events which occur over the same weekend. 

“The club is embarking on an exciting time not only with our rowing going from strength to strength with training and competing at both a local and national level, but we are also improving our clubhouse to ensure our beautiful grade 2 building remains in excellent condition and fit for purpose. 

“In September essential works commence on our boat bay and clubhouse floor to undertake repairs and improve our safety compliance. Following this we are looking at improving disabled access to the first floor and creating a separate training space for our rowing / erg machines. To continue with the future phases we will require funding through sponsorship and grants.”

Paul Tench, Group Managing Director of JT Hughes Group, adds: “At JT Hughes, as the official franchise dealer for Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, KGM and Isuzu, we are proud to support Pengwern Boat Club by providing the use of our tow vehicles for their upcoming events. It’s great to hear the difference this will make—particularly for the junior squad, who often rely on volunteers to transport themselves and their equipment to races. We wish them every success for the upcoming season and look forward to celebrating Pengwern’s achievements in the future.”

If you are a business and you able to help sponsor Pengwern Boat Club to support the renovation of the historic building please contact: chair@pengwern-rowing.co.uk