Your Local Club: Phoenix Canoe Club

If it’s a holistic kick you’re looking for, Phoenix Canoe Club makes sure mind, body and soul get equal attention. Situated on the Welsh Harp reservoir, between West Hendon and Wembley, were it not for that famous arch on the horizon you’d think you’d been transported to a remote, nature-heavy spot far outside the North Circular. 

For founder Phil Atkinson it’s this mix of the great outdoors, feel-good activity and a shared sense of camaraderie among its members which makes the club one of a kind. Here he gives the lowdown on Phoenix Canoe Club and how you can get in on that feel-good factor yourself…

Tell us about your club and how it started
The Phoenix Canoe Club started in 2004. It was in direct response to the closing of the Welsh Harp Sailing Base where they used to run kayaking and sailing classes.

We also realised that the schools and youth groups who used the facilities would no longer be able to. So over time we have created both an outdoor centre, which is mainly aimed at schools and community groups, as well as the public on weekends, to try their hand at sailing, bell boating (a twin hulled open canoe which seats 8-14 people), windsurfing, raft building, team building activities as well as courses in power boating and first aid. 

Then we have the canoe club which is for those who want to have access to the water and feed their canoeing or kayaking hobby. We have a lot of fun as a group. We’re going off to Slovenia next week for some whitewater kayaking. And a couple of years ago we went to India and did a six day expedition on the Kali river and the Ganges.

How integral are your surroundings – namely the Welsh Harp Reservoir – to the club?
It’s a lovely little space that nobody seems to know about. It’s quite well hidden from the roads. It’s over a mile long but people come here and say 

We found after the pandemic that lots of people were looking to get out in the open, and meet new people, all while doing some exercise. Everyone appreciates that what we have here is special and beneficial to both body and mind. 

Who uses the space?
We’re open to anyone from nine years upwards. Nine to 99 is what we say. We have a membership of over 50 people but that is ever growing and is expected to hit 100-120 by the end of the year. We get an even mix of females and males and roughly even adults to children. We are situated within a Jewish and Asian area, with our facilities being popular with both those communities.  

At the outdoor centre we work with a broad range of people and groups, including schools and community clubs. For instance, Mencap, which is a charity for people with learning disabilities, loves the facilities we have here. We get some grant funding to help pay for people who are from disadvantaged or minority groups to ensure these people don’t experience barriers to experiencing this wonderful space and the water sports on offer.

The canoe club sees a mix of young and old. Kayaking does tend to attract older people, but we have some keen youngsters too. Sailing and kayaking are favourites with all ages, and stand up paddleboarding is growing in popularity. Sailors can come down on Thursday evenings for supervised sailing, where we’ve got a safety crew out but they’re not being taught anything. It’s just to get out there and do some sailing with safety cover there just in case.

Do you have any clubs for kids over the holiday period?
Yes, we run Camp Phoenix for children through most school holidays, just excluding the February and Christmas ones because it’s too cold. That’s for kids ages 9-16, between 9:30am – 4:30pm. Activity-wise they try a bit of everything.  We have a half-day forest school club, that may include activities such as building shelters, making fires, crafts, and games in the woodland surrounding the Outdoor Centre. We try to instil life skills into the kids, by putting them in new situations where they wouldn’t normally be – with the safety of our team on hand! Everything children learn during Camp Phoenix they can come back and build upon and become a member of the club if they want to.

How can someone get a taster of what you do at Phoenix Canoe Club?
We run taster sessions in kayaking, canoeing, SUP (stand-up paddle) boarding, and sailing. They’re roughly once a month and you can find out all the details on our website or if you subscribe to the weekly newsletter you’ll find updates there as well. Also our social media – we have Instagram and Facebook – is a good place to find out more about us.

Do people need any prior experience to join?
No. In the outdoor centre you will have coaches acting as guides and if you want to join the canoe club without any previous knowledge you can do an introductory level one kayak or canoe course. That would aid you with enough knowledge to be allowed out on the water alone. This costs £110 for adults or £90 for children but is the equivalent to a British Canoeing Award which is recognised all around the country.

How about equipment?
No, they don’t need their own equipment. We can supply everything. People just need to bring down clothes that they don’t mind getting wet and some dry clothes to go home in.

Do you have any plans or ambitions for the club?
We were supposed to rebuild the club in 2021. But obviously with COVID it all went on pause. We’re now looking at it again and hopefully in 2024 we’ll have a new building, which instead of our two very small changing rooms it will have four large changing rooms which will make it much easier for different groups to be in at different times. There will be a cafe for training adults with learning difficulties in catering and we’re also going to have a little market garden and a lettable space where we can have weddings and parties. 

Lastly, what do you love about your club?
For me it’s all about meeting new people and helping people improve. We have a lovely active community and we get to experience everything in and among nature – I don’t think it gets much better than that.

https://phoenixcanoeclub.co.uk