The Northwich Autumn Head went ahead on Sunday 8 November despite the pennywort threat. The club has published Sunday's results; Saturday's are not posted yet.
Volunteers will be on the River Weaver this Sunday, 25 October, pulling out floating pennywort in an attempt to stop the weed forcing Northwich Rowing Club to cancel its Northwich Autumn Head on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November.
Mid Cheshire MP Andrew Cooper will join them at the club between 10.30am and 12.30pm, according to a release from Save Our Grassroots, the national campaign working with the club. British Rowing, the sport’s national governing body, will also be there.
The Autumn Head is one of two annual events that together bring in most of the club’s income, the release says.
Updated 9 November: the race went ahead on Sunday. Northwich Rowing Club’s results page now carries the 2026 results for Sunday’s three divisions, more than 230 timed crews in all, with clubs including Royal Chester, Queen’s Park Chester and Grosvenor among them. Saturday’s two divisions were not in the results the club had posted by this evening, and it has not said whether they raced. It has published nothing on how the clear-up went.
Updated 4 November: the club has published this year’s boating times. Division 1 is at 1.30pm and Division 2 at 3.15pm on Saturday; Division 3 is at 9.30am, Division 4 at noon and Division 5 at 2.45pm on Sunday. Entries have closed and the event page shows no cancellation. The club has not published an outcome from the clear-up.
Updated 30 October: the club’s event page still lists the Autumn Head for Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November, with no cancellation notice. Its “Draw & Boating Times” link still opens last year’s start order (created 4 November 2025), so the 2026 times are not out yet. No outcome of the clear-up has been published.
The quick answer
- Clear-up: Sunday 25 October 2026, 10.30am to 12.30pm, Northwich Rowing Club
- The race at risk: Northwich Autumn Head, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November 2026
- The problem: floating pennywort, which can grow up to 20cm a day and forms dense mats on the water
- Why it matters to the club: its two head races bring in the majority of its annual income
- Who is coming: Andrew Cooper MP, British Rowing and Save Our Grassroots, with specialised removal equipment
“The greatest threat to our club in its 150-year history”
Graham Jump, chair of Northwich Rowing Club, put the danger in the club’s own history:
“The spread of pennywort may pose the greatest threat to our club in its 150-year history of rowing on the River Weaver, notwithstanding two world wars… Pennywort now threatens not only our ability to row on the Weaver, but also the future of a club that has been an important part of Northwich life for a century and a half.”
The club’s competitions site gives its founding year as 1875. It is run entirely by volunteers and brings together rowers from 12 to over 80, the release says. Over the past 30 years more than 40 members have become national champions and represented their home countries and Great Britain, among them Olympic gold medallist Matt Langridge.
What floating pennywort does to a river
Floating pennywort reached Britain through the ornamental pond trade. The release says it can grow by up to 20cm a day, forming dense mats that obstruct waterways. In places it has contributed to fish dying, and then to ducks dying after feeding on their carcasses. Warmer conditions linked to climate change may favour its growth further.
British Rowing says the spread of the weed has already led to cancelled events and lost income for clubs across the UK.
Etienne Stott MBE, the Olympic gold medal canoeist, who supports Save Our Grassroots, said:
“It’s brilliant to see people in Northwich coming together to tackle floating pennywort. Rising temperatures create conditions that can favour its growth, so this kind of hands-on action is more important than ever to protect both wildlife and sport. It’s a great example of what communities can achieve when they work together.”
Why a cancelled race would hurt
Save Our Grassroots said the money is the point:
“These races are the club’s largest fundraising events; any cancellations would deal a devastating financial blow to their operations. Alongside dedicated community groups, we’ll be there on Sunday utilising specialised removal equipment to clear the water and give the big race the best chance of going ahead safely.”
The club is also about to join a match funding programme run by the campaign, which helps communities raise money to protect the natural places outdoor sport depends on. Save Our Grassroots was founded by film producer Paul Goodenough and is backed by Gary Lineker, Paula Radcliffe and the Olympic rowing champion Helen Glover. Its match fund page describes the model: a club raises half the cost of a project and the campaign matches it from a £100,000 pot.
About the Autumn Head
The club’s events page says its heads are rowed from Vale Royal Locks to Hunts Lock over a 2,350m course that is “pretty much straight and rarely affected by the weather”, suitable for beginners at their first head and for elite crews preparing for the regatta season. Its competitions site says the head race regularly attracts over 250 crews. Entries for this year’s Autumn Head opened on 9 October, according to the Autumn Head page, which carries the course map, the draw and boating times, and the safety notes.
What it means for you
- Spectating at the Autumn Head: the club advertises a tea tent for athletes and spectators. On event days it asks everyone to head for Sir John Deane’s College (postcode CW9 8AF, off Monarch Drive), not to The Crescent, where there is no parking.
- If the race is called off: check the Autumn Head page before you travel. We will update this story if the club changes its plans.
- Supporting the club: Northwich Rowing Club’s volunteering page is the place to start.
More in Northwich this autumn: Northwich Firefest on 7 November and the Northwich Christmas Extravaganza.
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