About us: Our values - Our story - Our committee
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About us: Our values - Our story - Our committee
Welcome!
Welcome to the London Otters Rowing Club, London's LGBTQI-friendly rowing club. We're based at the Royal Docks in East London, and welcome all abilities, from complete beginner to experienced rowers.
As well as weekly training sessions at the docks, we take part in regattas and races around the south-east of the country. We also organise social events for all our members - it's not all hard work!
Several times a year we run beginners' courses, make sure you register your interest if you want to join the next one!
We're always on the lookout for Sponsorship, so if you think you could help out, please get in touch!
Our values
Inclusiveness - we welcome everyone who has an interest in rowing
Teamwork - we work together and motivate each other to achieve common goals
Development - we help our members improve their fitness and rowing technique
Sportsmanship - we train and compete fairly, handling both victory and defeat graciously
Resilience - we are determined and resourceful when faced with a challenge
Our story
The London Otters Rowing Club was established in 2014 by friends Warwick Lobban and Grant Ralph. Both had a love of rowing but had struggled to find a club that would allow them to develop their rowing skills while being openly gay.
They made a decision to establish their own club and set out to find like minded people who wanted to row or learn to row. Initially started as a small group, the club quickly gained a following - it was clear they were not the only LGBTQ+ individuals that faced barriers to accessing rowing and sport through more conventional clubs.
LORC Committee 2024–25
Chair:
Alex Jones (he/him)
chair@londonotters.org
Captain:
Michael Whitcher (they/them)
captain@londonotters.org
Treasurer (Vice-Chair):
Swarnima Sircar (she/her)
treasurer@londonotters.org
Secretary:
Yoan Graignic (he/him)
secretary@londonotters.org
Safety Officer:
Dawid Hubert (he/him)
safety@londonotters.org
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer:
Chris McGuigan (he/him)
inclusion@londonotters.org
Social Secretaries:
Jess McManus (she/her),
Zendell Addai (he/him)
socialsec@londonotters.org
Public Relations Officer:
Daniel Bregman (he/him)
pr@londonotters.org
Fundraising and Sponsorship Officer:
Robbie Bond (he/him)
fundraising@londonotters.org
Equipment and Maintenance Officer:
vacant (covered by the committee)
equipment@londonotters.org
Squad Captains:
Novice Squad Captains:
Ghada ‘Fox’ Shawki (they/them),
Louis G (he/him)
Intermediate Squad Captain:
Sean Hammond (he/him)
Senior Squad Captains:
Edward Robertson (he/him),
Lisa D Richardson (she/her)
Social Squad Captains:
Toby Constantine-Cort (he/him),
Emmet Cassidy (he/him)
Cox Squad Captain:
Kieran Adams (he/him)
As a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, the club has charity trustees who delegate the day-to-day running of the club to the committee above. The trustees are Grant Ralph, Matt Davey and Alex Jones (an ex officio trustee as committee chair).
