The Benefits of Lea Valley White Water rafting

With 50 full and part time jobs created, the Hertfordshire economy has received a welcome boost from the world class Lee Valley White Water Centre, the only brand new London 2012 venue to open to the public before the Games.

Recruitment for Senior Raft Guides at the Centre began in October 2010 and nearly 30% of applicants for the coveted jobs were Broxbourne residents. The guides are now in training, ready to provide thousands of visitors with an unforgettable white water experience as they race through the 300m Olympic Standard Competition Course.

Applications continue to flood in for casual guide training. Guides will achieve a Level One Raft Guide qualification, the knowledge they need to be able to start raft guiding. If you think that you have what it takes and fancy a new challenge then why not register to find out what the fuss is about.

In December 2009, Brookbank Canoes and Kayaks, one of the United Kingdom’s largest water sports retailers, officially opened their first London store just 300 metres from the Lee Valley White Water Centre, creating four jobs and further contributing to the wider economic boost, It’s the first of many developments which will come to the region when the Centre opens to the public in spring.

Meanwhile, there were 37 local applications for two customer services roles at the Centre. Nazeing resident Kelly Palmer was one of the successful candidates: “I applied for the position at the White Water Centre because it combined my skills of dealing with clients on a personal level together with my love for sport and physical activities. To be part of the planning for the upcoming Olympic Games is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

A collaborative project supported by Essex and Herts County Councils, Broxbourne, Epping Forest and Enfield Councils and Lee Valley Regional Park Authority will explore how to maximise economic benefits arising from having the Lee Valley White Water Centre located in the heart of the River Lee Country Park in Hertfordshire.

This study will investigate what complementary leisure, tourism or other business facilities could realistically be developed around the Centre in order to develop its role as a wider visitor destination that generates more local employment and spending in the local economy and benefits the wider community but will also take account of environmental constraints in the Country Park and Green Belt.

The economic development study began in January 2011 and is examining lessons from other white water centres in the UK and overseas. It will also look at what can be done to make new jobs accessible to local residents and whether some public sector interventions are needed to bring some developments forward. This will involve consulting various business, tourism, town centre and residents groups active in the area to consider how this can best be done to improve the offer to the economy and the wider community

This article has been taken from the Herts is Ready for Winners newsletter February 2011.