News

Pinkston Watersports is based in the city centre of Glasgow on the canal basin at Port Dundas, just minutes from junction 15/16 of the M8.  Pinkston is Scotland’s only artificial white-water course and was the brainchild of a group of enthusiastic volunteers spearheaded within the slalom community predominately.  This was with the aim of supporting…

What is a “smart canal”? In our area it was key to unlocking a huge amount of housing development where rainwater and sewage were limiting development. The solution to drainage was to use the canal as both a watercourse and as a storage tank. Before rainfall the level of the canal is lowered, creating space for rainfall. During rain surface water flows into the canal, and it flows to a specific exit location where the level is controlled from. After rainfall the level slowly returns to “normal”. So what happens in the basin and White White water course? Originally the basin was separated from the canal and there were different levels either side of the sheet piling. Over time some leaks appeared and since 2016 the basin is the same level as the canal (it only needs a hole/leak path…

It doesn’t take long to forget how things used to be. Thanks to GoogleEarth it is now easier. Before the accessibility pontoon accessing the basin always involved a step down onto a small grey pontoon, then manhandling your canoe and launching. This was challenging for fit and able paddlers but a major issue for many. In April 2022 after a huge effort by our General Manager Hannah supported by the Scottish Canoe Association, funding was secured from Suez Communities Trust and SportScotland Facilities Fund to allow the purchase of a large accessibility pontoon with a wheelchair transfer station. Visits to sites in Scotland and viewing other examples online allowed a supplier to be chosen and a design finalized. The reality of being a Scheduled Ancient Monument Consent began to bite as we realized how hard getting permission from Historic Environment…

The breakdown of the White Water Pumps at Pinkston proved a very challenging times for the charity. The loss of Pump 1 due to damage to the motor windings meant we had to operate for 12 months with only 2 pumps available, not ideal for many customers from clubs to Fire and Rescue services. It also meant a significant costs at a time when we had very limited funds having just come out of COVID. As well as the repair of pump 1 we also needed to arrange for Pumps 2 and 3 to be serviced, another expensive job. The challenges of this time also highlighted that having a critical spare (“Pump 4”) would be vital for the ongoing resilience of the organization. With the problems and solutions known then how to fund them became a pressing question. We were…

Although at Pinkston we are often at the forefront of paddlesports and youth paddlesports we can always learn for others. One item we had seen other centres using with huge success is the Giant SUP! A massive paddleboard able to fit 10 or more young people they are the ideal craft for learning teamwork or just lazing about on a sunny day. They are also just amazing fun. We are therefore incredibly grateful to our local council Wards for awarding us funding to allow us to purchase 2 Giant SUP’s from SUP supplier McConks. Costing over £3,000 we would simply no have been able to purchase these ourselves for our own youth clubs, visiting community groups and others.  The recognition from Glasgow City Council of the work we do in making this award is fantastic recognition of our different programs….

The generous team at Clyde Gateway donated their Portacabin marketing suite to Pinkston for us to use as a third classroom and space for our Youth Clubs. This donation of an insulated classroom worth over £30,000 new is an incredibly generous offer. Although currently stored on site we are working on a permanent location. This will need Planning Permission and an entrance adapted for wheelchair access. We were fortunate in early 2026 to receive some funding from National Lottery Community Fund that includes a small amount to get Classroom 3 up and running. We hope to finally hold the opening ceremony in 2026.

With a challenging financial position during COVID in 2021 as well as a challenge for society as a whole we looked at how we could maximise Pinkston’s survival and our contribution to COVID recovery.  A new Scottish Government Fund, the Youth Work Education Recovery Fund was announced and looked a perfect fit. We could offer a wide range of programs that supported young people and youthwork, and also secure grant income while society was recovering from COVID. A small team of voluntary trustees investigated and developed a details proposal and submission which the assessment panel approved, offering £40,000 of funding towards our proposed activities. After the euphoria of the award came the delivery! We ran an incredible 2 week Positive Destinations program for young people from local schools, we offered 100 sessions to local youth groups and uniformed organisations, we…

During COVID, Pinkston Watersports faced a real threat to our survival. Some poor design by UK Government meant we weren’t eligible for a bounceback Loan (our fantastic bank, CAF Bank were not part of the scheme and the other banks only helped existing customers). Our voluntary trustees rose to the occasion and scoured for possible funders. One Scottish Government Scheme (Adapt and Thrive) looked a possible salvation. This offered a combined grant funding and loan funding package to support organisations. A proposal was developed which included developing our offering (including the lockers and canoes we now have)  but also addressing the capacity issues we face by improving access and storage onto the canal in the North West corner of the site (by the 2nd corner on the long course). An award of £25,000 towards these projects along with a £50,000…

For a number of years we have been welcoming a large number of users and groups who needed adaptions to meet specific needs. This has included young people with limited mobility through to new paddlers in the 70’s with limited vision. Alongside our work on installing a new accessibility pontoon we sought funding to be able to provide a range of adaptive paddlesportds equipment. We are very thankful to the St Nicholas Care Fund Trust who awarded us £2500 to allow the purchase of a range of adaptive equipment. We drew on the incredibly useful resource provided by British Canoeing which showed just how many different adaptations may be needed, but also the importance of being adaptable, and considering “hand-made” / “home-made”  items that addressed specific needs. The humble bean bag is one of the most useful of all adaptations….

Join us at Pinkston Watersports on Sunday the 21st November and help us raise as much money as possible for the Beatson Cancer Charity!