In September 2019, Moulsford Prep School hosted and exclusively funded an Accessible Boating Event for children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).
Over three days, sixty children and twenty four carers/teachers from six external schools visited the event to take part in Bellboating Sessions on the River Thames.
Moulsford Prep School, based on the River Thames near Walingford, is supporting Rivertime Charity as their local charity for the year, engaging the pupils and their community in fundraising events.
This was the first time that three of the visiting schools had offered Bellboating to their pupils. Every child managed to get on the water despite some understandable fears at the beginning.
The feedback from the visiting schools has been extremely positive:
“Our students really enjoyed the day: their confidence in the boat was visibly increased from the morning to the afternoon session, both in terms of their paddling and the actual getting in and out of the boat. One of our students has Visual Impairment so the trust in getting out onto the water was huge for her. Some of our autistic students were fascinated by the play of water reflections and shadows under the bridge and the wildlife was a huge hit!”
Tracy Gardiner – Fitzwaryn School
Feedback from the children attending included:
Deputy Headmaster at Moulsford Prep School, Jim Hamilton-Smith, said the following about the event:
“The whole school benefited from the event hugely and were talking about it a great deal, not only in assemblies, but in form time.
Moulsford thoroughly enjoyed working with Rivertime. The whole experience was hugely satisfying. We would love to be involved further in the future.”
Rivertime sincerely thanks Moulsford Prep School for their unbelievable support making this happen and has plans to develop this format, or a similar model with other suitable schools or colleges, along the river Thames through their newly formed separate sister Charity, Rivertime Accessible Boating Charity.
For more information or press – contact development [at] rivertimeboattrust.org.uk