Chester-le-Street Amateur Rowing Club - Chester-le-Street | UK Rowing Clubs | Row HQ

Chester-le-Street Amateur Rowing Club is a British Rowing-affiliated community club on the River Wear. Its boathouse forms part of the Donald Owen Clark Centre in Riverside Park, beside the Riverside Sports Complex in Chester-le-Street.

The club was formed in 1888 after earlier professional challenge racing on the Wear. Its original boathouse burned down in the 1930s and was replaced, but membership later declined and the club closed for several years. Bob Heywood revived it in the 1980s with three donated boats.

CLSARC offers Learn to Row, club, competitive and social rowing for adults and children. The Charity Commission records its purpose as providing rowing facilities, encouragement and instruction for Chester-le-Street and the surrounding area, including both competitive and recreational land training.

Since 2008, the club has taken boats and blades to an annual Windermere training camp. Athletes receive launch-supported coaching on the lake and use video sessions for technical feedback.

Victoria Bryant began rowing at the club as a teenager, later represented Great Britain and won the under-23 women's eight at the World Championships. Will Fletcher started at Chester-le-Street in 2002, became a world under-23 champion and world and European medallist, and raced at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

The club runs the Chester-le-Street Spring Regatta on the Wear; its 2026 event returned in April under British Rowing rules. Current racing reaches national level, with club juniors entered at the 2025 British Rowing Club Championships.