Van Mildert Boat Club Fire Recovery

On the evening of December 21st, Van Mildert Boat Club sadly burnt down, destroying all of our boats, blades and other equipment that was stored in our boathouse. This was the large majority of our club's equipment, as well as being the home of our club since its establishment in the late 1960s. Generations of Mildertians have contributed to what is now lost.

 

There is an ongoing police investigation into the circumstances of the fire, and fortunately, most equipment, as well as the building itself are insured under Durham University’s insurance policy. We are waiting to hear more news regarding the related insurance payouts and are raising this fund as a more rapidly accessible supplement.

 

Any kindly donated money goes straight to our account within the Van Mildert College Junior Common Room who hold our money. All funds will be directly accessed by VMBC exclusively.

 

We intend to use donations to buy smaller pieces of equipment that were bought and owned by the club and stored in our boathouse. This includes but is not limited to bikes that are used for coaching and spotting, hand tools that are used for day-to-day repairs, and storage units that are used for organisation inside the boathouse. We will be building a new boathouse and purchasing replacement equipment in the near future. If donations do extend to cover these costs, they may be used for this purpose too.

 

Finally, we’d like to thank everyone who has reached out to us for offering their sympathies and support. It is greatly appreciated by all of us at VMBC. Although we have lost our physical assets, our community is as strong as ever and we endeavour to rebuild our boathouse as rapidly as possible.