A Fermanagh woman is seeking to change the face of water sports on the River Blackwater after being inspired by the kayaking scene in her home county.
When Enniskillen native Leana Toal moved to Loughgall back in 2000, she couldn’t help but notice the lack of water sports in the area compared to back home on the shores of Lough Erne.
“Back home almost everyone is taking advantage of the Lough Erne system to improve their physical and mental wellbeing,” she said. “Since childhood I’ve regularly been involved in various water sports clubs that have a strong emphasis on safety and fun, which produces a real feel-good factor throughout the community.”
Back in 2021, Leana joined the newly-established Blackwater Paddle Sports club and began spreading the word to help the club grow.
“We were contacted by lots of people who said they had a kayak or canoe sitting at home and wanted to join in. We became more structured with PaddleNI membership, insurance, grants and a coaching programme for our members,” she explained.
“We also organise litter picks with KNIB and open days once a month – last month at the Argory we had 36 members of the public turned up for our open day. We have regular members’ only paddles and only last week we had a lovely paddle out to Coney Island for a club BBQ.”
Today, Leana is the chairperson of Blackwater Paddle Sports and is keen to encourage more members to come along.
To join, you are required to own your own kayak or canoe and contribute the £40 annual membership fee. However, those without a kayak are welcome to join in with the litter picks and open days.
The club has around 20 members on the books, but needs 50 to ensure it is self-sufficient going forward.
Blackwater Paddle Sports are striving to increase the water sports potential on the river
Leana believes that steps can be taken to utilise the River Blackwater better for water sports, which can in turn help improve community cohesion and increase tourism.
She says schools need to take the lead to encourage more open-water swimming and that water lessons need to go beyond the local swimming pools.
“I think it would be invaluable,” she said. “Even down in Enniskillen they’re doing summer camps that weren’t there when I was young that now do a range of sports for the kids.
“It’s about giving them the chance to develop those skills and develop confidence but also, in turn, it’s a massive improvement for safety.
“It ensures that, from an early age, people know what to do if there is an emergency and that they don’t panic.”
Compared to the rivers and lakes back home in Fermanagh, she feels the River Blackwater has been underutilised and potential is being missed.
“I was part of the local rowing club and would’ve been out on the water a couple of times a week.
“You can hire wee boats, you can hire the water bikes and there really is an engagement with those in the community, and also with tourists, to get them out on the water.”
She continued: “I think the problem at the moment is people are very hesitant about the pollution and the algae. We’re quite lucky in Blackwater because it is generally fast-flowing but it does flow into Lough Neagh which has a big problem.
“There were times last year where we had quite a lot of algae on the river, but it was quite small in comparison to the problem overall. There’s definitely missed opportunities.”
However, Leana does admit that accessibility and investment on the river has been lacking.
“It’s not brilliant,” she conceded. “They have been doing some work to it but in terms of facilities for toilets and picnic and camping facilities, it’s very much lacking and it could be an area that could be massively developed for locals as well as tourism.”
Ultimately, for Leana, the situation will improve if more people get involved in local water sports as, she says: “With interest, there follows more investment and we do need more investment in terms of facilities that are available to the water users.”
You can find out more about the club by visiting their Facebook page, Blackwater Paddle Sports.
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