Indoor rowing was one of the top attractions at the annual South Wales Police Open Day held at their sports venue in Bridgend. People came along, had a go and prizes were given for the two minute Rowing challenge for the furthest distance completed. Visitors from all over South Wales proudly took home their Participation Certificates and the next stage is to help them continue indoor rowing at centres in their own neighbourhood.

Towards the end of the day there were two race attractions. First up on the machines were the Police Rugby teams from the six Divisions in the South Wales Police region. Indoor rowing and using the Dyno are central to a healthy and robust Police Force and this is where the heavyweights came into their own, pulling some low splits. Equally as competitive but smaller were the junior U14 footballers. Their team challenge just rocked. Youngsters flew off the machines at each change and coaches and parents were close to collapse by the end. Talk about spectator sport at its best it's the tops. These teams will be supported with funding for their own Indoor Rowers located in their clubs but will be available for all in the community.

Overall winners from Barry Athletic Club also offer cricket and tennis so many more will have the chance to include indoor rowing into their workouts.

Overall the objective is to develop and grow community capital through improving fitness and engaging as many people as possible, especially those who would not normally think of taking part in activity. Another target group is the older teenager/young adult. Indoor rowing will provide cross-training for other sports and offer exciting opportunities for a variety of competition. This year the Welsh Indoor Rowing Championships in Cardiff will be held over two days in October with the Schools Event on Friday 26th with the main Event on Saturday 27th. As much as the Indoor Rowing Project for South Wales is about racing and competition it's also about the huge possibility of participation for all. There's something for everyone from five year olds upwards and it'll provide motivation to lift the spirit and support and align with other important initiatives, eg: regeneration and making IT facilities available in rural areas. The Performance Monitor can be linked remotely to other Indoor Rowers thereby encouraging practical on use of IT.

Indoor rowing will be delivered to match the specific needs of each community and environment through an open partnership between the South Wales Police, Church in Wales (Hope 2008) and Concept2 UK.