From a modest start in 2004 The Phoenix Canoe Club & Outdoor Centre has grown & in 2011 the Phoenix Outdoor Centre was added to provide water-sports and outdoor activities for local schools, colleges, youth & community groups. In 2016 the Outdoor Centre provided activities for over 8000 participants. The current wooden building was never designed to accommodate this sort of throughput & is in desperate need of replacement. The great news is that planning permission has already been granted for the new building! This Crowdfunding campaign is to raise funds to produce a business plan & fundraising strategy with professional input to give our main project solid foundations, & produce promotional signage, advertising & printed leaflets to help raise awareness. With your support in this first stage, we will be one step closer to realising our goal of creating a community sports hub that will provide outdoor education, recreation & fun for all.

What we'll deliver:

• Business plan & fundraising strategy
• Advertising & promotion materials
• A modern, fit-for-purpose facility
• More inclusive service with fully accessible building and sports equipment
• Community hub for delivery of water sports and active recreation for a rapidly growing urban population
• Employment and volunteering opportunities
• Expansion of outdoor educational opportunities
• Cafe to be run by a not-for-profit company, for the community
• Vegetable garden to supply community cafe

Why it's a great idea:

With a new building and grounds, there will be fantastic opportunities for more people to get involved with watersports, activities, and enjoy the great outdoors. This will help with increasing physical activity levels amongst protected groups – BAME, women and girls, older people, children and young people, areas of deprivation – thus linking to the Fit and Active Barnet (FAB) Framework. A fully accessible building will enable the activities to be inclusive to all members of the community, and accommodate people with additional physical needs, something the current facility is unable to provide. The expansion of outdoor education opportunities with schools, colleges, community and youth groups will encourage personal development, more healthy lifestyles & improve physical and mental well-being leading to a more active and healthy borough. The Club, Centre and cafe will help the Welsh Harp become a destination for everyone to enjoy - in a family friendly environment.

Steps to get it done:

• Tender for and employ professional fundraiser
• Set up fundraising strategy & business plan
• Set up artwork and obtain promotional signage, advertising and printed leaflets
• Advertise and promote project

We have modern watersports equipment and a wealth of great coaches and instructors. Our Centre is based next to the stunning Welsh Harp reservoir, offering a warm welcome to the many people that take part in our activities. We work with young people from age 9 upwards and adults, offering kayaking, canoeing, bell boating, stand-up paddle boarding, sailing, windsurfing, raft building, power boat training, first aid training, orienteering and team building. The Outdoor Centre is an RYA Recognised Training Centre, RYA Sailability Centre, operates the RYA OnBoard youth sailing scheme and is a British Canoeing Quality Mark Centre. The Centre is also licenced by the Adventurous Activities Licencing Authority. We work with the LB Barnet, Brent and other community stakeholders. The Club is affiliated to British Canoeing and has the Sport England “Clubmark” accreditation. It is also a member of London Youth, Young Barnet Foundation, the Foundation for Social Improvement and Community Barnet.