V is for Volunteers

We've relied on volunteers and interns throughout the project, working on many aspects of the project, including:

• Cataloguing, recording and sharing over 200 items from the West Boathouse sporting heritage collections 
• Building two rowing skiffs with Glasgow Disability Alliance (see also I for Inspirational)
• Mapping Glasgow's sporting heritage - volunteer Tam McCann's epic trawl through the archives to map over 1000 sites and places relating to Glasgow's sporting heritage
• Play Like A Lassie - a collaborative, community-editing project aimed at tackling the systemic gender bias in Wikipedia entries relating to women's sport in Scotland and celebrating their contributions. 
• The Living River - built around a series nature walk, digital trails and the iNaturalist app, recording and observing wildlife along the Clyde
• Developing the West Boathouse Environmental Policy - creating a policy and programme designed to encourage the rowing community to take a more active role in caring and advocating for the river
• 'Mon the Fish - a schools project in collaboration with the Clyde River Foundation, caring for and learning about brown trout and river ecology
• Helping to create a range of interpretation and education materials (including this book!), exploring sporting histories, and the natural and cultural heritage of the river
• Helping organise events and activities, walks and tours, litter picks and our opening celebration

Volunteers came from rowing clubs, partner organisations, special interest groups, and the local area. They each had their own passions and interests, motivations and needs, and somehow, despite the challenges thrown up by the Covid pandemic, they continued to give their time and energy to the project. We are eternally grateful to them all.

Many of the individual projects are covered in more detail in other sections, so I will briefly focus here on the work of the collections volunteers. 

A key part of the West Boathouse project is working through the heritage collections of the two resident rowing clubs - Clydesdale Amateur Rowing Club and Clyde Amateur Rowing Club. Both clubs are very proud of their long histories. Before its closure for renovations, the building was packed with photographs, vintage boats, oars, pennants, medals, and a wide range of rowing-related material dating from the 1860s to the present day. Very little of the collection had been catalogued or recorded, so the decant in advance of capital works provided the perfect opportunity to begin working through the material. With the help of volunteers from each club, we conducted a rapid inventory and photographed and recorded each room before the big move. 

Work began recording and cataloguing when Covid restrictions were eased in the autumn of 2021. With support from club members, a cohort of student volunteers from University of Glasgow Archaeology Dept began work. Several continued volunteering following graduation, going above and beyond to help us work through the material. We were also very fortunate to receive sustained support and advice from the Scottish Council for Archives.

Some clubs actively use their collections to engage with their members and visitors, and others are unsure what to do with it all. These small sports clubs face many challenges and pressures - declining memberships, decaying buildings, poor accessibility and facilities and a general lack of capacity and resources. 

Working through the collections gave us an opportunity to test the process of recording and sharing our collections, warts and all, and share that experience with other clubs and groups embarking on a similar journey. Getting sports clubs over the 'fear factor' when resources are tight is critical. Creating a practical, affordable and accessible model to help other clubs tackle their heritage collections was essential to the project.

Sporting heritage matters and is now formally recognised by the United Nations as a key driver for creating and supporting sustainable and resilient communities. "Sport builds bridges between individuals and across communities, providing a fertile ground for sowing the seeds of development and peace." (Wilfried Lemke, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace).