Fight to save canoe club after suspected arson attack melts £50,000 of equipment

On August 30, a fire at Euxton Canoe Club's storage containers in Yarrow Valley Country Park melted almost the entire fleet of 30 canoes and kayaks and destroyed half of their buoyancy aids, cags and paddles.

The club has now launched a crowdfunding plea for £20,000 and is appealing to other clubs and manufacturers for kit in a desperate bid to stay afloat.

>>>Click here to donate to the crowdfunder

Club chairman Jonathan McElhinney said: “As so much equipment has been lost the very viability of the club is being called into question.

"While we have a strong membership keen to be on the water and a vibrant 50-person youth section eager to develop their skills - with a loss on this scale, it's not clear we can continue without outside support.

Has this happened before?

Monday evening’s fire was the second time this summer that containers have been targeted.

On July 30, another container fire resulted in the loss of two sea kayaks, two Canadian canoes and a large amount of cags and spray decks.

Mr McElhinney said: "It''s absolutely awful. The club has been around for 50 years and now we've had a near total loss of equipment.

"The container will have to be replaced too, so we're looking at about £50,000 for everything."

Although the club has some insurance, it will likely only cover them to replace some equipment secondhand, or items that can be found at pre-Covid prices.

Mr McElhinney added: "There are a couple of clubs who have offered us kit, and we've had some very generous offers from people in the trade.

"We are really relying on the kindness of others at this point."

Who uses the club?

The club, which has around 100 members aged from seven to 80, has been running for 50 years and operates on a not-for-profit basis.

Members use the lake at Yarrow Valley Country Park and Brinscall swimming pool.

Members have reached out to British Canoeing, Sport England, National Lottery River Legacy, and councils to ask for support but are yet to receive any offers of help.

The police

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: “It has been reported to us and enquiries are ongoing.

“Anyone with information can call 101 quoting log 0159 of August 30.”