Sudbury Canoe Club celebrates 30th anniversary after receiving prestigious award

Canoe enthusiasts are celebrating 30 years of paddling Sudbury’s waterways, after receiving a prestigious accolade as a result of their relocation to expanded premises.

Sudbury Canoe Club was presented with quality club accreditation from Paddle UK, the national paddle sports governing body, earlier this month.

The award, which is given to organisations that demonstrate best practices in how they are run, coincides with the 30th anniversary of the club’s foundation back in 1995.

It comes one month after Sudbury Canoe Club moved into its compound next to the River Stour, located opposite its previous base in Quay Lane.

Funded with the help of grants from three different sources, the new base will enable the club to increase its offering, with the capacity for more boats.

Club chairman Nikki McGenn said: “2025 has been a momentous year so far for Sudbury Canoe Club.

“We are celebrating 30 years since the club was started on the River Stour, by a small group for friends wanting to share their passion for paddling.

“As well as achieving the Paddle UK Quality Club award, we also moved into our very own compound in May.

“This was made possible as we were very lucky to receive grants from Sudbury Town Council, Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Council and the Suffolk Sports Grant Programme – funded through Suffolk Community Foundation.

“We are immensely grateful for these grants, as they have enabled the club to move into our new larger compound which, in turn, means we can purchase extra boats moving forward.”.

The club also received a bursary to train more coaches from Paddle UK.

“All of the funding we have been awarded will help us to get more people on to the water, which is fantastic,” said Nikki.