Booking the centre

Updated May 2025

The Boat Station is available throughout the year for weekend courses, whole week courses, and can also be used during the summer evenings by Units who wish to Parade there. There is, of course, a standard fee of £260 for Units wishing to do this. Units are encouraged to use the Boat Booking Form in order to book the facilities they wish to use on Parade nights. Every endeavour will be made to provide the facilities requested, however it is expected that when more than one Unit wishes to Parade on the same evening, then the Units will join together to share resources.

Boat Station Staff will also be on hand to lend assistance, although may not be available to Instruct without prior warning.

 

Boat Station courses can be found on both Westminster and on the Sea Cadet Portal under Derwenthaugh Boat Station and are also advertised on the Centre's Facebook pages. These should always be booked through the Unit Training Officer as soon as possible. Courses close five weeks before the starting date and it is unlikely that the course can be booked onto after that time.

Booking the Accommodation

The Centre continues to be an attractive venue and Units/Districts are encouraged to book well in advance. Therefore it is essential to contact the Boat Station Principal who will then be able to confirm, or otherwise, if the requested date is available. The booking will be made and a place reserved; however this can only be confirmed with a non-refundable booking deposit of £100, until this is received the dates will remain available to others. If there is a second request for that date before the deposit is received, you will be advised of a conflict. For those wishing to use the Centre for boating purposes, you are advised to check that the tide times are suitable to your training plan. A link to the Port of Tyne tide table is given below. It is also advisable to check the availability of boats as these can occasionally be booked out to local Units.

 

Unit Camps - Sea Cadets

Derwenthaugh Boat Station is available to the Sea Cadets for Unit Camps.

Unit Camps are not funded by the MSSC and all costs must be met by the visiting Unit.

For costs involved, please contact the Principal. Gender mix must be in divisions of 4, with a mix of either 12 boys and 8 girls, or 16 boys and 4 girls. The attached document is an aid for deciding where the Cadets will sleep. A suggested menu can be found here; if you have booked the Centre, please let the Principal or Administrator know of your requirements a week before you are due to stay .

The staffing of the stay is the responsibility of the visitors including, instructors, supervisors and cook.
If the visitors require any staff from the Boat Station this may incur the daily Voluntary Allowance Rate. Please note, we cannot guarantee the availability of instructors, especially during a working week.

 

Booking the Training Centre

 

The Training Centre may be booked in conjunction with the accommodation building, or separately should day-running training be required.

 

For non-accommodated training that is not on the Boat Station Section on Westminster, please contact the Boat Station Chief Instructor.

 

Booking the Boats and other Assets

 

As we have multi users at the Centre, boats and other equipment (ie trailers etc) should be booked at the same time as the above bookings are made by filling in the Boat Booking Form. This will then be sent to the Principal, Chief Instructor and the Administrator. The Administrator will respond to your booking as soon as possible to confirm the form has been received; if not, please go to our Facebook page and send us a message through messenger to advise that the form has been sent. Once the form is received, Centre staff will check the internal boat booking spreadsheet and will advise if there are any conflicts with other users.

 

We now have various other assets available for booking for Sea Cadet Units; these include a full set of Adventure Training Equipment and First Aid Training Aids. Please use the Asset Booking form to view and book these; if these are already booked out we will let you know. Again, if you have any problems please do not hesitate to get in touch.

 

Dietary Disclaimer

 

Derwenthaugh Training Centre cannot guarantee that food prepared or purchased on these premises is free from allergens including but not restrictive to: wheat, fish, eggs, nuts, soya, milk, tree nuts and shellfish.

Anyone with life threatening allergies are encouraged to advise us before attending and to bring food from home.

 

It is ESSENTIAL that Cadet/Staff details are kept up to date on Westminster, including email addresses and NOK contact details.

 

 

Link to Port of Tyne Tide Tables.