In June 2016 Ben Dunne, then Principal at Penketh High School, and Richard Sinnott of Warrington Rowing Club (WRC), came up with a plan. The aim was simple…

To engage with local pupils who would not normally have access to rowing and take them on a sporting journey with the ambition to change their lives.

The plan neatly coincided with initiatives that were being worked up by British Rowing (BR) and Henley Royal Regatta Charitable Trust (HRRCT). These ideas fermented into reality and in September 2016, Phil Lyons began his two years as an HSCT Coach, based at Warrington Rowing Club.