A CAMPAIGN to raise £1m for a new Oxford Brookes University rowing centre on the River Thames near Wallingford has been given a golden endorsement.

Olympic gold medalists and Oxford Brookes alumni Rowley Douglas and Ben Hunt Davis, who were both coached at the club, gave their support to the campaign at the annual alumni lecture last month.

Rowley Douglas, who triumphed in Sydney in 2000, said: “The club now just needs to expand to what it has become – which is infinitely more successful than it has been.

“When I was at Oxford Brookes we were renting racks from another club.

“But when kids turn up to row there should be a place for them.

“We should never be turning people away.

“We have the results to back it up. It’s not just a mediocre or even a good club. It’s a club that has produced male and female champions.”

Ben Hunt Davis, also a Sydney 2000 champion, said: “The boat house they have now isn’t adequate. It’s important to give the rowers the facilities and space to develop.”

Mr Douglas said Brookes University head coach Richard Spratley was “a man on a mission”.

Mr Spratley, who has been coaching at the university for almost 20 years, said: “We need a bigger boathouse to accommodate the new rowing boats, and we need to provide much bigger changing rooms and showers.

“We have a new beginners group and a bigger women’s group.

“We are growing in all aspects of the club and we need more space both for the athletes and for the boats.

“We’re trying to set in place an infrastructure for the future that will hopefully mean more athletes and more Olympic medals.”

The university’s development manager Ian Steadman agreed the squad’s modest boathouse in Cholsey was not big enough.

He said: “They have to cram together to change and we have to keep some of our boats outside.

“We want to raise £1m by Christmas so we can build in time for the Olympics.”