Rower who started aged 70 hopes MK’s European City of Sport title will motivate others

A man who started rowing at the age of 70 hopes Milton Keynes’ European City of Sport title will inspire more activity across MK.

Malcom Haynes had never rowed prior to joining MK Rowing Club in 2017 and is now competing in races every weekend.

Watersports in MK are being celebrated as the sport of the month for March as part of Milton Keynes’ year as a European City of Sport.

A different activity in MK will be chosen for each month throughout 2020, to highlight local successes and encourage more participants.

Malcom trains three times a week on Caldecotte Lake and MK Rowing Club’s indoor machines, and competes most weekends in singles and doubles competitions.

He said: “I’ve always been a fan of rowing, having watched lots of it on the TV – and I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t give it a go myself.

“It’s a great sport, especially for someone like me who suffers from arthritis, because there is no impact involved.”

 

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MK Rowing Club, based at Caldecotte Lake, was founded in 1995 and now has an active membership of more than 100 people.

Helen Smith, Chairman of MK Rowing Club said: “We’re really proud of what Malcolm has managed to achieve in the last three years – and he’s a great club member too, always helping out wherever he can.

“As a club we’re really excited about MK’s European City of Sport title – it’s great to see so many different clubs and sports coming together.”

Celebrations continue in Milton Keynes as the city’s year of sport rolls on. Hundreds of people and organisations have already made an #MK20in20 pledge to be more active in 2020 – find out more here

Follow Active MK for the latest news from MK's year as European City of Sport click here