New rowing boat unveiled in memory of Monmouth student

December 10, 2018

A special ceremony has taken place to unveil a new rowing boat in memory of a 13-year-old boy who died earlier this year.

The family of budding cox, Tom, gathered at Monmouth School for Boys’ Rowing Club on Saturday 8th December to inaugurate The Otter boat.

Tom’s parents Debbie and Tim and sisters Holly and Emily and grandfather, Glyn, took it in turns to pour champagne over the boat to christen it.

The Otter – named after Tom’s favourite mammal – was bought with funds raised by pupils at Monmouth School for Boys and with money from Tom’s estate.

A wonderful legacy, The Otter will be used widely by school’s J14 and J15 rowers in training and in competitions.

A group of rowers from the school recently rowed Loch Ness to raise money for the new boat and Cancer Research Wales.

Master of Charge of Rowing at Monmouth School for Boys, Mr John Griffiths, said The Otter could have its first major outing on the Olympic course at Dorney Lake in March.

Tom was a pupil at Monmouth School for Boys and his unexpected death from leukaemia in June has been felt by all who knew him.

His sister, Holly, is organising a swimathon called Swim for Tom as part of another fundraising project, with the aim of volunteers swimming the 430km distance of the River Wye and back.

The event has attracted more than 500 swimmers and will take place in the pool at Monmouth School for Girls on Sunday 6th January.