Boat Launch 2023 on June 10 at Cooper River Yacht Club

When the forecast called for rain, Kelly Maxted smiled and said, “that would be very British.”

That was last June when with the lovely London-like soft rain splashing on the Cooper River, Kelly and her husband, Luke, and their two young sons launched the 16-foot cedar strip canoe that they had helped build at the Urban BoatWorks shop in South Camden during 2022.

“When all of the volunteers came to see us finally put the boat in the water, I felt a true sense of pride,” Kelly said. “I was proud that I had learned to build the boat, but I felt even more proud that these volunteers all turned up to celebrate with me, despite the rain and cold, everyone was so excited.

“It felt good to achieve something from the start to the end and have people cheering us on the whole time. I was so happy that they felt proud of what I had helped to make and achieve. These guys are the true heart of the boat shop.”

Kelly and Luke finished the UrbanPromise Fellows’ program last June and returned to London to start Urban Promise UK just three days after the launch.

“It was great to get the boat on the water, I didn't think that we would make it,” Luke said. “The weather was perfect for a British boat and it felt homely to be close to the water. It was a good thing to do as a family too. I am really grateful to John Dick (volunteer) for finding a rope so that our kids could paddle together.

“I didn't think that we'd get them out of the boat. There's a freedom that comes with sitting on the water, a boat can take you anywhere."

On June 10, three more canoes built by Fellows will be launched at the Cooper River Yacht Club. The festivities start at 9 a.m. and UrbanPromise staff, friends are welcome as well as all the cohorts and volunteers who helped on the boat builds.

Luke Maxted, the Co-Founder of UrbanPromise UK with Kelly, grew up in the diverse community of southeast London. As a child he used to visit Greenwich, the Cutty Sark, and the National Maritime Museum. He spent his summers on a boat with his parents.

Luke graduated from London School of Theology with a BA and Masters in Theology, where he met Kelly and they first connected with UP through James Russell from UP Wilmington. After graduation, he worked for two churches as a pastor specializing in ministry to families and children.

“The BoatWorks brought back a lot of good memories of both adventure and peace from summers on the water,” Luke said. “The little references to Greenwich around the BoatWorks and maritime museum made the place feel homely. Part of the beauty of boat building was working with the volunteers. They were endlessly encouraging and patient, answering incessant questions and guiding through the various stages of the build.

“A few things really stood out from the building process that I will carry home with me and are an important part of the vision for starting a boat works in London,” Luke continued.

“John gave me a knife, saying that he wanted to be the first to donate a tool to the BoatWorks in London. This really struck me as there is a huge problem with knives and stabbings in London. The idea that someone from southeast London would be given a knife as a tool for creativity and hope rather than it being a weapon of fear and destruction was really moving."

Under the leadership of veteran volunteers Andy Field and Bill Judd, Luke and Kelly spent a couple hours a week at the boat shop.

“Andy and Bill were always encouraging us that any mistakes could be fixed later. I think this is an important message for urban teens along with the idea that our choices have consequences," Luke said. "In building the boat you can learn to identify where you made mistakes and correct them for the future. You also get to learn that any mistake can be fixed if you are willing to go back to it.

“So much of London's history is in the river. Trade, immigration, war, environment. So much can be learned about our city on the river and the shift in perspective, being on the water is an exciting one to share with young people."

Already, Urban Promise UKoffers an After School Camp and a Student Leader Program. Kelly understands how important it is for students to have a place to go after school.

“Having been in Camden about 18 months during Covid, I was so happy to be able to come along to the boat shop and do something that was out of the house,” Kelly said. “I had spent so many months just studying at home.”

“At first I was just excited to see another extension of what UrbanPromise does and I didn't think I would enjoy working there too much,” Kelly said. Growing up in the city in East London, I always had associated boats with people that had wealth and never expected to find myself building one some day.

“It always felt like it was something that was for people that weren't like me.”

Kelly said her biggest surprise was just how much “I loved being in the boat shop."

“I can't honestly say that I miss the actual building too much, although the experience, sense of achievement and skills were invaluable and I learned so much, what I do deeply miss and think of often is the company,” Kelly said. “All of the volunteers and staff at the boat shop were always so patient and kind no matter what mood I was in or how much I messed things up.

“They always reminded me that every thing could be fixed if I made a mistake and were always ready to show me how to do things and let me try again when I needed to. Being around a group of people with that kind of selfless attitude makes you want to keep trying at things, even if it is something you were not particularly interested in at first. “

When Kelly first started to come to the boat shop, she often felt a “bit nervous and scared.” She even would “step back a bit in participating.”

“It took me a while to work out what was going on but after some reflection I realized that it was the sudden loud noises that were making me so jumpy,” Kelly said. “Growing up somewhere that was often dangerous, loud noises remind me that I am not always safe and I need to be on guard. It took a while for me to adjust to that and realize that I could be somewhere loud and still be completely safe.

“I learned so much about kindness, patience, endurance and leadership from my time in the boat shop, which I will never forget,” Kelly said. “We didn't need to be in a deep conversation about what things in our life were difficult, we could just show up and know we were loved and that we had something else to focus on together.”

Kelly and Luke have been building UrbanPromise UK for the past year. Perhaps someday soon they will be building boats at their UK boat shop. 

“I truly hope we can start a boat works program here in London one day,” Kelly said, “so that the kids here can feel a sense of achievement as we take the turn of being the ones to cheer them on, let them make mistakes and encourage them to keep trying.”

Come out and support this year’s UrbanPromise boat builders on June 10 at 9 a.m. at the Cooper River Yacht Club. Who knows, the launch might even be blessed again with a soft rain like last year!