The chairman of Marlow Rowing Club has admitted it was hard to keep for the club to keep its head above water after losing its clubhouse to a blaze in 2011.

With nowhere to call home, members were forced to train and meet elsewhere, with temporary bases springing up at Bisham Abbey and Longridge.

As well as contemplating a replacement for the fire damaged clubhouse, the committee was stretched to breaking point as it tried to keep rowing operations from grinding to a halt.

But Peter Hunt paid tribute to the hard work and dedication of members and said thanks to them the club has never been in better shape.

He said: "The town was very supportive. Everybody seems pleased to see us back, they didn’t want us to go.

"We had a real struggle keeping the club together when there was no building. Our previous captain [Sally Reay] did a fantastic job of holding it all together "The whole point is that it was a great team effort, people all did their bit in different areas. Fortunately, we have a number of experts on the committee."

The newly £3million HQ has just been unveiled to the public – a state-of-the-art centre complete with a full gym, bar and boathouse.

An official opening ceremony is planned for the summer.