We are a Charitable Institution providing a warm welcome and positive atmosphere for paddlers of all ages. The Club's objective is to promote community participation in healthy recreation by the provision of facilities for kayaking and canoeing for young people and adults within the Durham area, with particular emphasis on those who would not otherwise be able to participate in the sport either because they can't afford to or they have a disability which prevents them.

Both kayaking and canoeing are generally perceived as sports only suitable for able-bodied and financially well-off participants. They also tend to be male dominated sports. Our main benefit to the community is that we introduce these sports to the whole range of young and older people alike, including girls, including those with some form of physical or learning difficulties (in some cases quite severe), including the less well-off.

By challenging these misconceptions, we hope to significantly raise the self-esteem of everyone, by teaching them valuable life skills (in particular teamwork skills) and a 'can-do' attitude, as well as provide them with a healthy form of recreation and fun. It expected that most will achieve a recognised British Canoeing qualification at some point during their time with the club. We do not seek to make any profit and strive to keep the cost of participation to an absolute minimum.