Back in 2000 AHOY’s founder Clive Ongley had a vision! To offer less privileged children and young adults the opportunity to gain qualifications and skills through practical hands on learning and to give them the support to succeed in life. Clive then set up the AHOY Centre in Deptford to provide power boat, sailing and rowing activities on the River Thames.
After years of fundraising and negotiating with various authorities, the vision was realised when The AHOY Centre was officially opened by HRH Princess Anne in November 2003.
Since then, thousands of children and young adults have experienced water-based activities from our Centre, many of them going on to gain qualifications to enable further employment with commercial companies based on the Thames. Others simply attend for fun or to develop confidence and self-esteem.
The AHOY Centre celebrates its 20th anniversary in November 2023 – two decades of delivering Adventure, Hope & Opportunities to Young people in south east London and beyond.
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