Taking part in our activities is open to everyone and there are lots of ways to get involved. We organise events and sessions for groups, schools and individuals throughout the year.
Have a birthday party coming up? Or would you like to drag your colleagues out of the office for a fun afternoon or evening? We can arrange fun multi activity sessions for groups as small as 6 or as large as 60 people. Our sessions will challenge and excite you and they are great for teambuilding. Adults can also get involved in one of our Saturday open sessions throughout the summer months, come and try climbing and high ropes, or get out on the water sailing or kayaking.
Young people can take part in our Youth Programme. Here you can have a great time and make lifelong friends, and gain recognised awards in the activities too. We organise regular trips away to give you the chance to widen your horizon, broaden your experiences and test yourself in more challenging environments.
Have a look below to find out more about the activities we offer and how you can take part.
The Centre has a varied fleet of kayaks suitable for general purpose use, as well as white water playboats and sea kayaks. Our main water area is the sheltered water of Shadwell Basin, where participants can learn the basics in a safe, enclosed, flat water environment. We also use the River Thames for more experienced paddlers. This challenging piece of tidal water offers a unique view of the city from a kayak. Our instructors will help you to get the most from this activity and have a great time out on the water. Kayaking can be booked as a group or school session or a private session. We also do lots of kayaking in the Youth Club. Adults can try kayaking on one of our weekend taster sessions or book a beginners course through Tower Hamlets Canoe Club. Book a session Schools Youth Programme Adult beginners course Adult Canoe Club We have a large number of open canoes, suitable for up to 3 people each. These versatile craft can be used on many different types of water, from flat lakes to fast flowing white water rivers. With more than one person in each boat, these boats challenge people to communicate and work together as a team. They offer great opportunities for all kinds of games. We can also organise canoe raft building and canoe sailing sessions for your group. Canoeing can be booked as a group or school session or a private session. We also do lots of kayaking in the Youth Club. Adults can become a member of Tower Hamlets Canoe Club or book a beginners course through them. Book a session Schools Youth Programme Adult beginners course Adult Canoe Club Our purpose built outdoor climbing wall offers an exciting activity for groups of up to 10 people. The wall has climbs of varying difficulty to introduce those taking their first steps upwards and challenge more experienced groups. Groups will be introduced to rope belaying and safety techniques, as well as getting the opportunity to try and reach the top of the wall. We also have an indoor climbing wall, where we challenge you to try out techniques like traversing or you can test your strength and agility on its overhanging walls. Our ten metre high course is based on Shadwell Pierhead, with great views of Canary Wharf and the River Thames. The course offers exciting and fun challenges for everyone and can be adapted to suit both young people and adults. Participants are encouraged to look out for each other’s safety and to encourage each other throughout the session. The elements of the course include a vertical Playpen, with tyres and scramble net, an inclined beam to test confidence and balance and tightrope walks with rope vines or gladiator rings to help you on your way.There is also a tyrolean traverse, which links the course with our climbing wall, and an abseil tower. The highlight of the course is a climb up the High All Aboard pole and a Leap of Faith from an airy platform onto a trapeze with an incredible view out over the river. For those who prefer to keep their feet closer to the ground, there are also challenges to be had at lower levels, with team activities including our rope swing and problem solving challenges. The Centre uses both the River Thames and the enclosed water of Shadwell Basin for sailing sessions. Sessions on the Basin take place in our Laser Picos and Bosun dinghies, whilst on the river we use Wayfarers, Bosuns and our Drascombe “Vicky J”. Young people can learn to sail with our Youth Activities programme at evenings and weekends. For adults we offer a variety of taster sessions and RYA training courses, from beginner courses to the more advanced. And to continue sailing after your course, why not join Shadwell Sailing Club. They welcome members of all abilities and give you the opportunity to sail on the river Thames and see the city in a whole different light. You will meet lots of nice people and we guarantee you will have a great time . Schools Find courses Youth Programme Shadwell Sailing Club We have two Bell Boats, which are best to be explained as two large open canoes linked with a walkway down the middle. They are very stable catamaran like boats which can be paddled by groups of up to 10 people. They are great for groups who may not feel confident enough to go in open canoes or kayaks for their first time on the water or mixed ability groups who may need additional support. We also use these boats for race tournaments with larger groups. Schools Youth Programme Book a session Shadwell has three fixed seat rowing boats called ‘Skerries’. For beginner and taster sessions we can use the enclosed water of Shadwell Basin, and once participants are familiar with the boats and coxing commands, we can start training and touring on the River Thames. Our rowing boats seat up to 8 rowers and are great for team building and endurance challenges. We offer fundraising challenges of various distances and are currently researching the possibility of a cross-channel challenge! Please contact us for more information, we would be glad to tell you more.
