Kew Gardens welcomes Team GB to iconic Temperate House for Olympic Rowing Squad Announcement
Release date: 6 June 2024
Kew Gardens yesterday welcomed over 40 athletes to its iconic Temperate House for the official announcement of the Team GB rowing squad destined for the Paris Olympics this summer. With just 50 days to go until the start of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, the unveiling of the team marks a key milestone in the buildup to the start of the rowing events, taking place at the National Olympic Nautical Stadium of Ile-de-France, from 27 July to 3 August.
The full squad included athletes from the women’s eight, men’s eight, women’s four, men’s four, women’s quadruple sculls, men’s quadruple sculls, lightweight women’s double sculls, women’s double sculls, men’s pair, women’s pair, women’s pair, and reserves. Athletes were also joined by a range of coaches and support staff, as well as excited family members, to mark the countdown until the start of the Paris Games. Half of the squad named at Kew Gardens yesterday will be making their Olympic debuts during the games.
As part of their commitment to opening access to the sport, the rowers, including two-time Olympic champion Helen Glover, also spent some time meeting local young athletes from Brentford Boat Club which is located just across the river. They said afterwards that the opportunity to meet their heroes was inspirational and helped them to imagine themselves as future Olympians. Paris 2024 marks Glover’s fourth Olympics, as she joins the women’s four.
Taking in the spectacular surroundings of Kew’s Temperate House, situated close to Kew’s boundary with the River Thames, the rowers posed for photographs and conducted interviews, speaking with members of the press about their intensive training and preparation, as well as their aspirations for the forthcoming Olympics, with many reflecting their hopes for strong home support following the restrictions on crowds during the Tokyo 2020 games.
The Temperate House at Kew Gardens is the world’s largest Victorian Glasshouse and is home to 10,000 plants from Asia, Australasia, the Americas, and Africa. These include some of the rarest and most endangered species in the world, including some which are already extinct in the wild. Refurbished in 2018, the Temperate House tells the story of how Kew and its global partners are working together to conserve plants from some of the most remote locations in the world.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is dedicated to harnessing the power of plants and fungi to end the extinction crisis and secure a future for all life on Earth. With Kew’s world-leading research, global partnerships, and beloved gardens – home to the world’s most diverse collections of plants and fungi – Kew is using its trusted voice to shape policy and practice worldwide. As a charity Kew relies on the critical support of its visitors, not only to sustain the gardens, but to protect global plant and fungal biodiversity for the benefit of our planet and humanity.
Visitors to Kew Gardens this summer can enjoy spectacular artworks from contemporary artist Marc Quinn as part of his Light into Life exhibition, running until 29 September. Other summer events include the first Joe Wicks Festival on 7 July, the return of Kew the Music and Theatre on Kew, as well as a unique programme of wellbeing activities. For more information, visit kew.org.
ENDS
For further information, please contact pr@kew.org
About the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world-famous scientific and horticultural institution and conservation charity, whose mission is to understand and protect plants and fungi for the wellbeing of people and the future of all life on Earth. It is internationally respected for its outstanding collections, horticultural and scientific expertise in plant and fungal diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the globe. Kew Gardens, with its 132 hectares of historic, landscaped gardens, is also a major attraction for international and London visitors alike. Dating back to 1759, the site has a rich history and was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003. Combined visitor numbers with Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex, total over 2.5 million per year. Wakehurst is home to the Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world and a safeguard against the disastrous effects of climate change and biodiversity loss. RBG Kew receives approximately one third of its funding from the UK Government through the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and research councils, with the remaining two thirds coming from supporters, sponsors, memberships and commercial activity including ticket sales. This enables RBG Kew to carry out its vital scientific and educational work. For tickets and membership options, please visit our website. Since implementing a new accessibility scheme for those in receipt of Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Legacy Benefits, Kew has welcomed over 88,000 visitors with £1 tickets across both UK sites.
Full Team GB Rowing Squad:
Women’s eight (W8+)
Heidi Long (Leander Club / Marlow RC), Rowan McKellar (Leander Club / Broxbourne RC), Holly Dunford (Molesey BC), Emily Ford (Leander Club), Lauren Irwin (Leander Club/ Durham University / Chester-le-Street ARC), Eve Stewart (Leander Club), Hattie Taylor (Leander Club / Sir William Perkins's School), Annie Campbell-Orde (Nottingham RC / Leander Club), Henry Fieldman (cox) (Leander Club)
Coach: Richard Chambers
Men’s eight (M8+)
Sholto Carnegie (Leander Club / Marlow RC), Rory Gibbs (Oxford Brookes University BC), Morgan Bolding (Oxford Brookes University BC), Jacob Dawson (Leander Club / Plymouth ARC), Charlie Elwes (Leander Club), Tom Digby (Oxford Brookes University BC / Griffen BC), James Rudkin (Newcastle University BC / Hollowell Scullers), Tom Ford (Leander Club), Harry Brightmore (cox) (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Coach: Steve Trapmore
Women’s four (W4-)
Helen Glover (Marlow RC), Esme Booth (Leander Club / Stratford upon Avon BC), Sam Redgrave (Leander Club / Norwich RC), Rebecca Shorten (Imperial College BC)
Coach: James Harris
Men’s four (M4-)
Oli Wilkes (Oxford Brookes University BC), David Ambler (Oxford Brookes University BC), Matt Aldridge (Oxford Brookes University BC / Christchurch RC), Freddie Davidson (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Coach: Christian Felkel / Dan Moore
Women’s quadruple sculls (W4x)
Lauren Henry (Leicester RC), Hannah Scott (Bann RC / Leander Club), Lola Anderson (Leander Club / Newcastle University BC), Georgie Brayshaw (Leander Club)
Coach: Andrew Randell
Men’s quadruple sculls (M4x)
Tom Barras (Burway RC / Leander Club), Callum Dixon (Twickenham RC), Matt Haywood (Nottingham RC / Burton Leander RC), Graeme Thomas (Agecroft RC)
Coach: Paul Stannard
Lightweight women’s double sculls (LW2x)
Emily Craig (University of London BC), Imogen Grant (Cambridge University BC)
Coach: Darren Whiter
Women’s double sculls (W2x)
Becky Wilde (Leander Club / Bath University BC), Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne (Upper Thames RC)
Coach: Tom Pattichis
Men’s pair (M2-)
Ollie Wynne-Griffith (Leander Club / Cambridge University BC), Tom George (Leander Club / Cambridge University BC)
Coach: Christian Felkel / Dan Moore
Women’s pair (W2-)
Chloe Brew (Leander Club / Plymouth ARC), Rebecca Edwards (Leander Club)
Coach: Tom Pattichis
Reserves
Olivia Bates (Nottinghamshire County RA / University of Nottingham BC), Lucy Glover (Edinburgh University BC / Warrington RC), James Robson (Leander Club / Newcastle University BC),Will Stewart (Leander Club)