The Beach is Back at Canary Wharf

This summer, Wood Wharf at Canary Wharf will be transformed for Action for Kids’ Beach Volleyball Championships from 30th June to 18th July. The waterfront area will be filled with more than 160 tonnes of sand by the children’s disability charity, to accommodate two beach volleyball courts.

With almost 3,000 Londoners hitting the courts last year to prove their skills and have a laugh, the event is a winner among corporate employees, schools and young disabled children alike. Top UK beach and volleyball athletes who have coached teams and schools include Ben Pipes, Phil Smith and the Paralympians’ Sitting Volleyball Captain, Rob Richardson.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “Action for Kids is an incredible charity helping young disabled Londoners to get active through sport. I hope the Beach Volleyball Championships raise plenty of cash to help this excellent cause.”

For those who want to test their friends or colleagues, teams of five to 12 people can enter the action-packed tournament on 18th July if they pledge to raise a target amount for the charity. Team entry includes two hours of coaching from qualified Volleyball England coaches, entry into the Sitting Volleyball Tournament, lunch, a goodie bag and company profile listed in the event brochure.

For those more into spectator sport, there is Wood Wharf’s newest bar CNTNR, a waterfront pop-up made of up-cycled materials and housed within a 20ft disused shipping container. Furnished with help from swimwear style expert and Jubilee Place store Orlebar Brown, the bar is the perfect destination for a refreshing Pimms while viewing the beach volleyball action. Or tuck into some delicious dishes from KERB, the trendy London collective of mobile street food traders who are serve up their original food at the event such as giant Polish hot dogs, full racks of sticky beef ribs, exotic Creole fish of the day, Korean tacos with confit duck or winter greens or marinated ox cheeks.

Action for Kids also hosts a series of taster sessions and events to showcase the sport for non-disabled and disabled people, and encourage schools and community groups to take part. These include sitting volleyball, a chance to watch top athletes compete in an elite tournament hosted by the specialists in volleyball, SideOut, as well as fitness classes.

Action for Kids’ CEO, Graham Duncan, said: “Last year the event generated over £70,000, a target we are confident we can beat.The money we raise provides motorised wheelchairs and bespoke mobility equipment not available on the NHS, which means young people can get out and about and are not stuck indoors, reliant on someone else. We can’t thank the Canary Wharf Group and our sponsors Santa Monica, Marshall Wace and Doyle Clayton enough for making this a reality.”