Rowing, Irish Health & Homes and The Troubles

We have all cheered on our Olympic Gold Medal rowers like Sir Steve Redgrave and Katherine Grainger – it’s a sport we are really quite good at – but did you know that there’s a rowing club in South Leeds that is both encouraging beginners to try out and aiming to train the next generation of champions?

It’s a wonderful story so let’s hear it in their own words.

“For many years Leeds was the largest city in the UK without an open rowing club. With a population of nearly a million people, the demand for a facility in the city was overwhelming. The club opened its doors to members in 2006 and has never looked back. Leeds Rowing Club provides a friendly atmosphere which can cater for people at all levels, from recreational to elite standard.

We are more than just a rowing club: we are a community. We have created a safe place where local youngsters can visit regularly; improve their physical health through rowing; improve their mental health by meeting new people; forging new positive relationships and being active with others; and learn new life skills such as leadership and teamwork that will help them throughout their lives.

Our Boathouse is in inner-city Leeds [in Stourton] and some of the council wards where our juniors live are amongst the most deprived in the country. We have been engaging with young people from low-income backgrounds for five years now by going into local schools and running indoor rowing sessions.

We want to break down the stereotypes of people who take part in the sport and unlock the hidden junior talent that would never normally go near a river, let alone get in a boat and row. We believe that with the right support, anyone can start rowing and, by removing the barriers which stop participation, anyone can thrive in this environment and become a champion. We have succeeded in these aims and now have around 90 children in our junior programme, training hard as a team and competing and winning at local and national events. We won the Victor Ludorum trophy for the most successful club at a recent Peterborough Regatta.

Our main source of income is membership fees but to ensure all those athletes who want to participate can do so, we subsidise membership fees and kit costs for those families who are unable to pay. “

What a great story. To get in touch you can email the club at: rowingatleeds@gmail.com

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I recently visited Leeds Irish Health and Homes at their new offices just off the York Road.

They do a wonderful job working with the Irish community across South Leeds and across the city and it was great to catch up with their news. They do so many things, from encouraging gardening to organising dances, luncheon clubs, outings and a wide variety of friendship groups. We all owe a big debt of gratitude to their wonderful staff and their big team of volunteers who makes such a difference.

And on that subject, many congratulations to South Leeds resident Rachael Loftus – the Chair of the Trustees – who was recently named the Irish in Britain’s outstanding trustee volunteer for 2025. It’s a richly deserved award, and thank you Rachael and the team for everything you do.

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The period known as the Troubles, in which over 3,500 people were killed, still hangs heavily over the lives of so many people in Northern Ireland and across the United Kingdom.

The Good Friday Agreement – that extraordinary act of political courage – brought peace but it was not able to deal with the legacy of the Troubles. And that is why so many victims and survivors are still looking for answers about what exactly happened to those whom they loved so much. I have met many families in this position in my role of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

The previous Government’s attempt to find a way forward failed to win support in Northern Ireland, didn’t comply with our international human rights obligations and was undeliverable. That is why after months of discussions, including with the Irish Government, I have introduced new legislation to fulfil our commitment to repeal and replace the previous Legacy Act.

The Bill will abolish immunity from prosecution, including for terrorists (which was very unpopular), restore some inquests and the ability to bring civil cases and significantly reform what will now become the Legacy Commission to give families greater confidence to go to it to find the answers they are looking for.

We also owe a huge debt of gratitude to the 250,000 Northern Ireland veterans who served with honour and distinction to keep people safe during the Troubles, and who worked with the police and other emergency services in the most difficult circumstances imaginable. Their service and their sacrifice will never be forgotten.

That is why we are also introducing strong safeguards for veterans that respond directly to the concerns that have been expressed to us. These will also apply to other people, such as former police officers, and they will mean that no witnesses will need to travel to Northern Ireland to engage with legacy mechanisms. They will have a right to do so remotely, and the Commission will be under a duty not to duplicate aspects of any previous investigations unless there are compelling reasons that make it essential. The welfare of veterans will also be given proper consideration as part of any assessment of whether they are required to give evidence, and this will include the right of veterans to seek anonymity when doing so.

I have had many discussions with political parties, victims and survivors organisations, human rights groups, veterans and others affected by the Troubles. Given the views held by so many people – often diametrically opposed – it was always going to be impossible to set out a plan that gives everyone everything they want. I also recognise that, because of what has gone before, there is a great lack of trust. That is, unfortunately, the reality; but it is not, and it never has been, an argument for not trying to find a way forward.

I hope that those who want to see a fair and effective approach to legacy that can command greater support in Northern Ireland will recognise that these new measures represent fundamental reform, and that they will therefore be given a chance to succeed.

Time waits for no one, least of all for the many families who lost loved ones, and they, ultimately, will be the judge of whether these new arrangements can give them the answers that they have sought for so long. I hope that we will together be able to grasp this opportunity, and so help the people of Northern Ireland to look to a future freer of the burden of the past.

First published in the November edition of South Leeds Life, available online here https://southleedslife.com/mps-notebook-rowing-irish-health-homes-and-the-troubles/