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I find myself stretched at the moment. Between my full-time job, training for Evesham, writing this very newsletter, and organising the club’s social calendar, it’s fair to say things have been busy. Incredibly fun, but busy.
Most of my focus lately has gone into planning the return of the Members’ Ball, which this year takes on extra weight as we mark the 150th anniversary of Ross Rowing Club. Getting it right matters. It’s a milestone, not just a party. And it’s no small feat. I’ve enlisted the help of a small committee, and together we’re making steady progress behind the scenes. If all goes to plan, we’ll be sharing full details very soon.
But in the process of planning this event, I’ve found myself thinking more about what 150 years actually means. We often talk about club history like it’s something separate from us, as if it lives only in the photos on the Clubhouse walls. And yet, we’re all part of it. We’re continuing the story.
As a relative newcomer to the club, digging into its past has been a bit of a feast. Take Jane Hall, for example, a name I first knew only because it was printed on the bow of the boat I used in my first ever Learn to Row session. But behind the name was a person, a rower, a story. And she’s just one of many.
If you’re curious to learn more, there’s an excellent book in the clubhouse that charts the club’s history from its founding in 1875 through to the year 2000. It’s the result of a huge amount of work by Brian Dean, Jeremy Whitehouse, Dave Wood, and Julie Smith, and it captures both the spirit and the substance of the club across the generations. It’s available for £15 and well worth picking up, not just for the facts, but for the reminder that what we’re doing here matters. That we’re part of something lasting.
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Stay up-to-date with all the latest developments at Ross Rowing Club
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All eyes are on Evesham this weekend as the regatta season officially kicks off, and Ross crews have been quietly laying the groundwork with some strong early-season performances. April may have been a relatively quiet month on the racing front, but that didn’t stop a few determined athletes from making waves on the River Taff.
The River Taff may stretch some 67 kilometres from the Brecon Beacons to the Bristol Channel, but for the rowers, just 2200 metres mattered in the heart of the Welsh capital. Cardiff City Rowing Club hosted its Head of the Taff event, with the course running downstream past the Principality Stadium and finishing in Cardiff Bay.
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Above: Ross Junior’s Matilda and Issy celebrating their victory at Head of the Taff.
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Mike Jones flew the flag for our Masters squad competing in the Open Masters H 1x event, scoring an adjusted time of 8 minutes 36 seconds in a time only event. “I steered a good course and was generally pleased with how things went,” said Mike—ever the understated competitor.
Our Juniors were out in force too, and they didn’t disappoint. Issy and Matilda stormed to gold in the W J15 2x, clocking 09:08.76 and finishing over 21 seconds clear of Llandaff Rowing Club leaving no doubt. Guy and Tom took on the Open J15 1x category, while Leah competed in a time-only W J16 1x, all continuing to build experience and confidence as the season ramps up.
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Above: Lucy Billington, centre, and her Cardiff University Senior Woman’s 8 crew.
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Elsewhere, former Ross Junior and current Cardiff University student Lucy Billington took part in the Welsh Varsity Boat Race, also raced on the River Taff, between Swansea and Cardiff. She coxing the Senior Woman 8 to victory, holding them off for the whole course, winning by around four lengths, maintaining their undefeated streak.
And finally, congratulations to all the juniors who raced at the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta in Nottingham on 26th April. Lily K and Leah represented the West Midlands in the single sculls, while Guy, Will, and Ben raced as part of a composite crew with Hereford Cathedral School, winning the J15 4x+ in style.
Thanks, as always, to our coaches, volunteers, and support teams for making these opportunities possible. With Evesham just around the corner, we now shift into the next phase of the season, as preparation gives way to reaction.
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We’re pleased to share that Ross Rowing Club has recently taken delivery of Royal Border, a wide, stable coxed quad, thanks to a grant secured through British Rowing. The boat, which can be rigged for both sweep rowing and sculling, offers a solid, confidence-building platform for beginners — and it arrived just in time.
Our 2025 Learn to Row programme began at the end of last month, with a fresh group of newcomers taking their first strokes on the river. Royal Border has already seen plenty of action, helping new rowers build skills and find their feet in a safe and supportive setting.
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Above: New to the club, ‘Royal Border’ takes to the Wye during a Learn2Row session.
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And the fleet continues to grow! A brand-new single scull is also joining the club, and we’ll be celebrating its arrival with a boat naming ceremony on Friday 16th May at 6pm. All Members and Associates are warmly invited. The bar will be open, the BBQ will be on — and club colours and blazers are encouraged.
It’s set to be a great evening, marking not just the arrival of a boat, but the return of our weekly summer BBQ’s to end the week in style.
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John Ewens, a former Vice President of Ross Rowing Club, sadly died after a heart attack while walking in the Malvern Hills on 2 April.
Originally from South Wales, John began working at a young age, stacking shelves in his father’s corner shop. He went on to build one of the largest chains of SPAR supermarkets in the country.
John moved to Ross in the early 1980s after acquiring the SPAR shop on Gloucester Road, later opening a delicatessen nearby. Though he never rowed himself, many of his friends did, and he enjoyed the club’s lively social scene and annual regatta, which he sponsored for many years. Like many other local business owners at the time, he supported the 'Presidents' Enclosure’ at Ross Regatta over August Bank Holiday — not least because it was the only place serving drinks after 3pm. While enjoying the day, he was always happy to make a generous donation to club funds.
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Above: In memory of John Ewens, former Vice-President of Ross Rowing Club.
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After selling his business, John spent more time skiing, playing tennis, and indulging his love of fast cars. His Bentley, with its cavernous boot, was ideal for lavish Henley Royal Regatta picnics and also became a popular wedding car for several club members — complete with chauffeur’s hat. Later, he took up horse riding and found a similar thrill in hunting to that of skiing, but without the need to travel to Switzerland. It was through hunting that he met his second wife, Fran.
More recently, John served as churchwarden at St Mary’s Church in Bishops Frome, where his funeral will be held on Saturday 10 May at 12 noon. Our thoughts are with Fran and the family at this time.
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Ross Rowing Club, and much of Ross-on-Wye, was deeply saddened by the passing of our good friend Philip “Plum” Palmer, who died at St Michael’s Hospice on 4th February, following his battle with cancer.
Plum was a talented local craftsman and a keen sportsman over many years. His presence was felt both within the club and the wider community. We were heartened to see such a strong turnout at the celebration of his life held at the clubhouse — the room was full, with standing room only. Messages of condolence came from far and wide, including Indonesia and Sri Lanka, a testament to the reach of his friendships and the life he led.
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Above: Nicky Wild and Mike Jones presenting £570 to Leukaemia Care in honour of Plum.
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In his memory, generous donations have been made to Leukaemia Care and St Michael’s Hospice, in appreciation of the care and support both provided to Plum and his family.
Plum’s close friends Nicky Wild and Mike Jones visited both charities to personally hand over the donations: £570 to Leukaemia Care and £250 to St Michael’s Hospice. We would also like to thank the Club Board of Directors for their exceptional generosity in matching the donations made in Plum’s honour, and to all those who generously gave in his memory.
Looking ahead, we are planning a charity sports day and BBQ on Saturday 21st June, the summer solstice, to celebrate Plum’s memory. Further details will follow, and all are warmly invited to attend.
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Above: Ross Rowing Club welcomes Mark Walker as it’s Camping Warden.
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As the warmer months return, so does our busy camping season — and with it, we’re pleased to welcome Mark Walker as the new Camping Warden at Ross Rowing Club.
Following a recruitment process, Mark brings solid experience from a background in retail and customer service. Having lived in the area for several years, he knows the local community well and is well placed to support our growing number of visitors.
He’ll be working closely with club member Sarah Flint, who recently took on the role of Camping Coordinator. Together, they’ll be managing the day-to-day running of the campsite and helping shape its next phase of development.
A quick reminder to all members, please refrain from opening the gate, sharing the codes, or accepting payments for camping behind the bar. These measures are in place to ensure a safe, organised, and seamless experience for everyone.
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Details on upcoming social events at Ross Rowing Club
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Since relaunching our social events last September, the response from members has been nothing short of brilliant. From sell-out comedy nights to packed quiz evenings, we’ve created the kind of buzz around the clubhouse that many of us had been missing. Even better, we’ve raised over £12,000 in gross sales, all of which helps to support the club and keep things moving forward.
With that momentum behind us, we’re excited to share our brand-new calendar of social events, taking us right through until March 2026. It’s a line-up full of variety, fun, and something for everyone — whether you’re in the mood for a big night out or a evening laughing out loud.
Favourites are firmly back on the menu. Comedy Nights will continue to bring the laughs, Cabaret Nights will offer that bit of sparkle and surprise, and our Oktoberfest event promises another unforgettable festive celebration. We're also thrilled to confirm the return of the Members’ Ball — a highlight for many and a brilliant way to bring the club community together in style.
And for those who like a bit of friendly competition (and a good excuse for a drink and a catch-up), our monthly Quiz Nights will be returning in September, taking place on the first Friday of every month. They’re a staple of the social calendar, and it’s great to be bringing them back once again.
As summer approaches, we’ll be pressing pause on our twice-monthly indoor events and making the most of the warmer weather instead. From Friday 9th May, we’ll be firing up the grill and cracking open the bar for our weekly BBQ & Bar Nights, running every Friday from 6PM. These evenings are all about keeping it relaxed — good food, a cold drink, and time to unwind with familiar faces as the sun goes down.
Whether you’re new to the club or a long-time member, we’d love to see you at an event soon. Every event helps support the club, and most importantly, keeps our club connected, social and thriving.
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One of the highlights of the rowing calendar is fast approaching, and we’d love you to be part of it. On Wednesday 2nd July 2025, Ross Rowing Club will be heading to the Henley Royal Regatta for our much-loved annual day out — and whether you’ve been before or it’s your first time, it’s a day not to miss.
Open to all RRC members and their guests (J16 and over), this is your chance to experience Henley at its best — world-class racing, riverside views, and the unique buzz that makes the regatta so special.
We’ll travel together by coach, departing Trenchard Street at 8:00 AM and arriving in Henley at around 10:45 AM. You’ll have the whole day to explore, soak up the atmosphere, and enjoy the racing, before we head home at 6:00 PM. And don’t forget — Henley is the perfect excuse to dress up, especially if you're planning to visit the Enclosures.
Coach tickets are £35 per person. Spaces are limited and this trip is always popular, so we recommend booking early to avoid missing out. Click below to reserve your spot via WebCollect — we hope to see you there.
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Shining a spotlight on what makes our club so special - its people
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For more than two decades, Kirsty Watkins lived across the field from Ross Rowing Club. She’d seen the boats, the early-morning activity, watched people move in and out of the clubhouse. And yet, in all that time, she never had the courage to set foot on the site.
Rowing was something she’d always been curious about. But without a connection to the club, it felt out of reach. That changed in early 2024, when she started working alongside someone who rowed: Elisabeth ‘Buffy’ Angier. Over a few conversations, the club became less of a mystery. In March, she signed up for a Learn to Row course. In April, she finally crossed the field.
“I was terrified,” she says. “Proper, physical nerves. And I’m not usually like that. But something about walking into a space where everyone seems to know what they’re doing… I felt completely exposed,” recalls Kirsty.
The course lasted six weeks — land sessions, rowing machines, then gradually onto the water with coaches and experienced rowers. The river was familiar in a different way. She’d walked alongside it for years with her dogs. Now she was in it, working out how to sit, balance, move, think. She remembers enjoying it — but she also remembers the anxiety.
By week four, it caught up with her. “I had a full panic attack walking through the gates,” she says. “I just froze. I wasn’t scared of the water — I could swim. But the idea of capsizing triggered something I couldn’t rationalise. It made no sense, and that made it worse.”
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Above: Kirsty and her Learn 2 Row cohort of 2024, receiving their certificates.
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What happened next mattered. Her fellow learners didn’t flinch. “No one made a big deal of it. They just checked in, gave me a hug, and we carried on.” One of the coaches, Tim Ball, took her out in a more stable boat. “I went from crying on the bank to standing up in the boat and doing race starts by the end of the session. It sounds made-up, but that’s exactly what happened.”
When the course finished, she joined the development squad — Saturday sessions, some midweek rows, Friday evenings in the summer with a drink and food afterwards. Her group stayed tight: all eight learners became members. They were new, still learning, still clunky in places, but they showed up — and that counted for something.
As winter set in, the conditions changed. The water moved faster, the temperature dropped. Kirsty had found an experienced crew to join and was rowing regularly with Buffy, Bronia Bendall, and Georgina Gilbert. Her fear of capsizing resurfaced each week on a particular stretch of river known as ‘Sheepwash’, where the flow quickened and the line narrowed.
“Every week I’d hit Sheepwash and feel dread. I’d grip everything too tight, shoulders up, totally in my head.” She kept going anyway. No one told her to toughen up or snap out of it. The anxiety didn’t go away, but she learned how to work around it. She showed up, rowed through it, then came back the next week.
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Above: Bronia Bendall, Georgina Gilbert, Kirsty Watkins and Elisabeth Angier.
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In February 2025, over tea and banana bread after an outing, someone mentioned entering Vesta — the Masters Head of the River Race on the Thames. She hadn’t heard of it. But someone floated the idea of putting together a mixed eight: seven experienced rowers and Kirsty. At that point, she’d only sweep rowed twice — and she was invited. She said yes, not really knowing what she’d signed up for.
They trained throughout March and entered Gloucester Head as a warm-up. It was Kirsty’s first proper race. The day itself was cold, tense, unfamiliar. She didn’t feel like herself. But they got down the course in good time. Then came Vesta.
The morning didn’t go smoothly. She arrived in London to discover her phone hadn’t charged overnight — no way to pay for anything or contact her kids. A minor crisis that, oddly, calmed her nerves. “It threw me completely. But maybe that was good. I didn’t have time to get nervous.” By the time they pushed off, she was too distracted to overthink.
The Thames was wide and fast. The cox took control. The crew locked in. The race itself passed in a blur — bridges, calls, voices from the bank. Kirsty stayed in the boat mentally, kept to the rhythm, did the job. They finished in just over 22 minutes, later adjusted to 21:05. Third place in their category. Not bad for a crew with one first-time sweep rower.
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Above: Buffy, Tim B, George G, Tim D, Kirsty, Bronia, Morgan, George S and Lenny at Vesta.
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It wasn’t until weeks later, watching the Boat Race on television with her children, that the magnitude of what she’d done began to land. She’d rowed that same stretch of river. Sat in the same stream. Moved through the same space. Not as a spectator, but as part of it. Pride took over and tears began to flow — and who could blame her? Not because it was a dream fulfilled, but because it marked a shift: a quiet redefinition of what she thought she was capable of.
The field she’d looked across for so many years wasn’t a boundary anymore — it was just grass. She had crossed the field, joined the club, and rowed the Thames — all within a year. There was no grand transformation, just a series of small decisions that built into something unexpected, a story she never thought she’d be brave enough to write.
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When Jessie Punn first turned up at Ross Rowing Club’s Easter Camp in 2017, she wasn’t new to the scene. Her older brother, Jayesh, had joined two years earlier, and the Punn family were already regulars at regattas. Still, Jessie quickly carved her own space in the club—not through brute force, but from the cox’s seat, headset on, voice steady, guiding boats down the Wye.
Her time in rowing didn’t start there, though. Early on, an injury shifted her from sculling to coxing—and, standing 5’1 with no shortage of authority, it just made sense. What began as a temporary adjustment became a defining role. Jessie would continue to scull, winning her first event in a WJ14 4x+ at Evesham in 2018, but coxing stuck.
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Above: Jessie winning her first ever pot at Evesham Regatta 2018.
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By the time she was 14, Jessie had already raced at BR Nationals. Twice. She threw herself into local regattas, training sessions, and every crew that needed steering. Through COVID, she kept rowing. Through sixth form, she moved up to the senior women’s squad, switching from sculling to sweep. The pace changed, the goals shifted, but rowing was still constant.
Then came the knee injury in 2023—and everything paused. For the first time in years, Jessie couldn’t row. Not a single stroke. So she leaned into coxing, throwing her energy into the Learn to Row course that summer and helping guide junior crews through their season. It wasn’t what she had planned, but it gave her something she hadn’t had before: space to see how far she’d come.
In autumn 2023, Jessie started working full time in hospitality. She coxed senior crews at Ross through the Head season, balancing early mornings with late shifts. Eventually, it became too much. She stepped back just before Christmas, unsure when—or if—she’d return.
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Above: Jessie with the Senior Men’s MUBC after their first win at Runcorn Spring Regatta 2025.
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Three days into university life in Manchester, that answer arrived. Jessie had told herself she wouldn’t go near rowing again, that she’d draw a line between school and uni. But then she saw the rowing stall at Freshers’ Fair. She asked—half-joking—if they needed a cox. They didn’t hesitate.
Within days, she was back on the water. At first, it was Learn to Row. Then came the senior men. Suddenly, she was spending ten hours a week on the Bridgewater Canal, calling race plans for a boat full of strangers who trusted her to steer, coach, and hold it all together. And it was working.
It wasn’t easy. With no coach, a lot of the planning fell to her. She doubted herself. A lot. “Why me? Why am I coxing the Men’s 1V?” But the results said otherwise. She coxed at WEHORR, HORR, BUCS Head, and more. Her calls sharpened. Her instincts clicked. She started building kilometre-by-kilometre race plans and knew what each crew needed—because she’d been in enough boats, with enough personalities, to know how to listen.
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Above: Jessie Punn coxing her University of Manchester crew at HORR 2025
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Now, she’s been voted to be cox captain next year. She’s made peace with the fact that rowing has followed her into university life. Or rather, she’s followed it.
Outside of rowing (though it rarely feels separate), Jessie studies Politics and Spanish. Her degree will take her abroad soon—to Spain or South America—and she’s already wondering how coxing works in another language. She’s not ruling it out.
Looking back, she admits it’s taken a long time to feel confident in her voice. But now, in a boat with no coach and a crew that looks to her for direction, it’s clear she’s earned her seat.
Rowing hasn’t just been part of Jessie’s life. She’s shaped it, session by session, from the banks of the Wye to the waters of Manchester. And if you try talking to her about anything else—well, good luck getting her to change the subject.
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Ross Rowing Club - Founded 1875
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