Durham Regatta crowdfunding appeal to dredge River Wear

Regatta organisers are looking to dredge a river, after low water levels damaged boats.Durham Regatta competitors reported boats hitting the river bed and fins being broken off as they made their way along the River Wear.Organisers said they had permission to carry out dredging to alleviate the effects of silt accumulating in the river, but they needed about £125,000 to reach their funding target to pay for the work by a private contractor.They hope to raise the money by crowdfunding. The Environment Agency has been contacted for comment.
The 192nd Durham Regatta was held at the weekend, with thousands of visitors flocking to the city.Nigel van Zwanenberg, who has organised the regatta over the years, said future events on the river were in jeopardy."We wouldn't want to lose it," he said.
Mr van Zwanenberg said: "In hot summers there will not be enough water to row."You would be able to walk your dog across."At this year's event, competitors said the water was "very shallow".Durham University rower Jacob Popoff said his team's boat had come in contact with the bottom of the river, and that their fin was hit.Steven Thompson from Lambton Rowing Club added that dredging would also benefit rowing clubs further down the river.
Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Leader Live

29 minutes ago

• Leader Live

England reach last four of European Under-21 Championship after beating Spain

The Young Lions, who next face the Netherlands, benefited from an early let-off after a VAR check resulted in an overturned penalty. Captain James McAtee opened the scoring in the 10th minute and Harvey Elliott netted his second goal of the tournament five minutes later. What a win. What a performance. OUR #YOUNGLIONS ARE INTO THE #U21EURO SEMI-FINALS! 👏 — England (@England) June 21, 2025 Javi Guerra clawed a goal back for Spain with a 39th-minute penalty, but substitute Elliot Anderson's own spot-kick in second-half stoppage time assured Lee Carsley's men of their spot in the final four. England got off to an unsteady start as Spain thought they won a penalty when Charlie Cresswell – looking like he was trying to get out of the way – was penalised with a handball by on-field referee Simone Sozza. The Italian was called to the monitor by his VAR compatriot, and England breathed a sigh of relief when the call was overturned. McAtee opened the scoring from an Alex Scott corner after a flick-on by Omari Hutchinson. Spain got a touch, but only in the direction of the alert England skipper, who turned home from close range. A big quarter-final performance from the England captain ©️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿#U21POTM | #U21EURO — UEFA Men's Youth (@UEFAMensYouth) June 21, 2025 Elliott doubled England's advantage five minutes later, tapping in the rebound after Spain goalkeeper Alejandro Iturbe spilled a save from Jarell Quansah's long-range effort. England gifted Spain another chance from 12 yards, however, after losing the ball deep inside their own third, exacerbating the error when Quansah, who dangled a leg, caught Alberto Moleiro and Sozza immediately pointed to the spot. Guerra stepped up and halved the deficit after coolly sending James Beadle the wrong way. Some great work from Quansah and Hutchinson after the restart nearly set up Jay Stansfield, who saw his effort deflect over, shortly before Cresswell nodded a corner into the side-netting. Beadle twice denied Guerra then gathered up a Mateo Joseph effort, while England were still in search of a first shot on target since Elliott's goal with 20 minutes remaining after Morton fired just wide. Jack Hinshelwood should have extended England's lead but he mistimed a free header over the crossbar. England hit Spain, who were searching for a late equaliser, on the counter when Iturbe was punished for bringing down Jonathan Rowe inside the penalty area, which Anderson slotted home to seal victory.

Powys County Times

30 minutes ago

• Powys County Times

We deserve it so much – Harvey Elliott hails England's quarter-final victory

Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott was left speechless after his goal helped England book their place in the European Under-21 Championship semi-finals with a 3-1 victory over Spain in Slovakia. The Young Lions benefited from an early let-off after a VAR check resulted in an overturned penalty before captain James McAtee netted a 10th minute opener, Elliott scored five minutes later and substitute Elliot Anderson added a penalty in second-half stoppage time. Javi Guerra's 39th-minute penalty denied a clean sheet for the defending champions, but it was nevertheless a splendid night for Lee Carsley's men, who face the Netherlands in the final four on Wednesday. What a win. What a performance. OUR #YOUNGLIONS ARE INTO THE #U21EURO SEMI-FINALS! 👏 — England (@England) June 21, 2025 'Incredible. Lost for words, I think,' said Elliott. 'I said at the start of the game it was going to be very tough, they're going to play an incredible game against us, but I thought the way the lads handled it, handled the pressure, conceding a goal and being determined to keep on going, keep on fighting, we deserve it so much. 'Now it's kind of time to celebrate, but we need to think about the semis now. Celebrate, recover, rest, go again.' Tyler Morton will miss the last-four clash through suspension after he was booked against Spain, while Napoli's Rafa Marin saw red before a post-match scuffle broke out between the sides. Elliott added: 'It was always going to happen. I think it's just passion from both teams, it's just one of them. I was trying to calm everyone down, because at the end of the day we have everything to lose. They don't if they get sent off. 'We have to focus now, we can't get too carried away, we can't lose players for the semi-final.' Manchester City midfielder McAtee was more subdued than his team-mate, adding: 'We're over the moon, but the focus is the semi-final now. We're happy about the win, but we need to switch focus.' England boss Carsley was delighted by the way his men responded after nearly conceding a penalty in the early stages of the first half. 'We talked about getting a fast start and to give the penalty away after a minute, obviously then going to VAR – the lads showed a lot of character,' Carsley said. Through to the semis! 💪 — England (@England) June 21, 2025 'I thought the first half we were so good. I was saying before the game, I think the longer we can stay in, the more fluid we will become. Some really outstanding performances and they should be proud of themselves.' England will now get some much-needed rest and a day off before turning to their semi-final tie. Carsley added: 'The big thing is this can't be our final. This can't be our highlight of the competition, there's better nights to come.'

BBC News

an hour ago

• BBC News

Fleetwood takes lead as he hunts first PGA Tour title

Travelers Championship third round-16 T Fleetwood (Eng); -13 R Henley (US) K Bradley (US); -11 J Day (Aus) -8 B Harman (US), H English (US), W Clark (US)Selected others: -7 R McIlroy (NI), S Scheffler (US); -6 A Rai (NI); - 4 M Fitzpatrick (Eng); -2 R MacIntyre (Sco); +1 S Lowry (Ire)Full leaderboard England's Tommy Fleetwood will take a three-shot lead into the final round of the Travelers Championship in Connecticut. The 34-year-old, looking to clinch his first PGA Tour title, had a share of a three-way lead after the second round.A brilliant seven-under-par 63 in round three has given Fleetwood the outright lead over American pair Russell Henley and Keegan catapulted into contention with a blistering nine-under-par 61 that included four birdies in his first six holes. The American set a clubhouse score of 13 under but Fleetwood got to 14 under with an eagle on the par-five 13th. A birdie on the 15th followed and Fleetwood came close to finishing his round by picking up another world number one Scottie Scheffler slumped to a two-over 72, world number two Rory McIlroy shot a two-under Northern Irishman made four bogeys across the front nine but a double bogey on the 12th probably ruined his hopes of a late charge on Sunday.