THREE watersports clubs in Oxford are making a splash after gaining prestigious Clubmark status.

Isis Canoe Club, Falcon Rowing and Canoe Club and the Oxford Canoe and Kayak Club (OCKC), all based at Donnington Bridge, are now accredited by Sport England.

Roger Hiley, head of the Riverside Centre, where OCKC is based, said: “It is unusual to find three paddle-based clubs on the same stretch of river.

“That’s a real feather in the cap for Oxford.”

The clubs celebrated with a presentation evening on Saturday in which members, and city councillor John Tanner took to the water.

There was then an official presentation of the award, which gives particular emphasis to the safety and standards of teaching to young people.

Mr Hiley said: “This has taken a lot of work for each of the clubs. The accreditation process looks at how the clubs invest in people, their training programmes and how they work within the community.

“It is one of those sports where it doesn’t matter what ability or age a person is, they can still take part.”

Liz Murnaghan, of Canoe England, said: “It is a lot of paperwork and can be hard to keep on top of it all, so congratulations to all the clubs.”