AFTER securing almost £30,000 in grants and sponsorship for new equipment, Calstock Rowing Club is about to embark on ambitious plans for a clubhouse on the parish quay.

A feasibility study is the next stage now that support in principle has been given by owners of the quay Calstock Parish Council.

It follows an exciting few months for the club which is awaiting the completion of its new wooden gig 'Cream of Cornwall'.

This second racing boat and a new training boat means that Calstock will be raising the stakes when it comes to competing.

Club chairman Steve Gentry said a Sport England grant and sponsorship from Rodda's Cornish Cream together with an interest-free loan had paid for the new boat and Ginsters had funded a new fibreglass training gig.

He said: 'It's fantastic for us in terms of training and competing because we can get a lot more people on the water.

'We can push 40 rowers out on a Saturday morning to train and with a special training gig the other boats will not get as damaged.

'We can also enter more teams in competitions and it is going to make a huge difference to the club. We are looking forward to a fantastic season.'

The rowing club has also been chosen to work with students from the Duchy College at Stoke Climsland and Callington College, giving them the opportunity to learn rowing skills. This will enable the club to obtain professional training for some of its rowers which in turn will benefit other club members and the wider community.

The long-term aim is to build a clubhouse so the rowing club has its own storage facilities and undercover venue.

With three new boats as well as flashboats and other equipment it has outgrown the storage shed at the back of the village hall.

Mr Gentry said a feasibility study would look at all aspects of the scheme before plans were drawn up and planning permission sought from Cornwall Council.

He estimated that the cost of the build would be somewhere in the region of £300,000 so all funding sources would be investigated.

New members of all ages are welcome to join the club but young men in their late teens and early 20s are being sought in particular to boost the men's teams.

The chairman added there was a void because many went off to university or to pursue careers elsewhere.

'We are looking for lads of that age who are already settled in the area and can stay with us for a long time.

'Most of us are in our forties and we could do with a team of a lower age group who would be more competitive in races.'

Anyone interested in joining the club should call Mr Gentry on 0797 0008905.