Enable All to Sail

ITV Region: West  /  Year: 2010

Winner!

Durleigh Reservoir
Bridgwater
Somerset
TA5 2AW

Website: http://www.sycsa.org.uk

This group would use a grant to extend their ‘Enable All to Sail’ project, which currently provides free sailing taster sessions to pupils from nine local primary schools. The funding would mean the group could widen sailing opportunities for local people through providing taster sessions to other schools as well as adults from the community.

“Enable All to Sail” from 2011 onwards:

The aim of this project is to provide free, accessible sailing opportunities for all comers, including those with special educational needs, with disability and for those people who cannot afford the costs of trying sailing.
Our new project, “Enable All to Sail”, will widen the opportunities for more schools and adults, from our local community, to experience the thrills and spills of sailing.
We will provide free sailing tasters and lessons for over 500 new people in 2011. The experience will introduce them to this exhilarating and exciting sport.
Once we have developed the project, we intend offering the opportunity each year for the foreseeable future, thus enhancing the lives of many people in our community.
This project dovetails perfectly into SYCSA’s objects, which are: “To provide training and recreational facilities which promote and encourage the sport of sailing and practises of good seamanship among the people mainly – but not exclusively – of Somerset, for the purpose of advancing their education and in the interests of social welfare within the meaning of the Recreational Charities Act 1958.”

“Enable Youth” Project:
Bridgwater Primary Schools “Give it a Go” “Playsail” Sailing and Windsurfing Week 12 – 16th July 2010.

Quotes:

Hi Pete

Please can I say a big THANK YOU from myself and the children who attended the “Give It a Go” sailing day yesterday. We all had a wonderful time and myself and the Teaching Assistant were amazed how much the children grew in confidence during the session.

It was a really fantastic experience for the children, two have already asked for sailing lessons for their birthday presents.

Thank you all again

Regards

Christine

Dear Pete

Many thanks for an excellent afternoon. The children couldn’t stop talking about it on the way home. I hope Thursday goes as well.

Regards

Christopher

Pete,
Please could you also pass on my thanks to everyone at SYCSA who helped today. The children had a super time. I happened to bump into a couple this evening, and they were still talking about it.
Many thanks also to you, for all your work on making it happen.
Regards
Tim

Case study/report:

Over one week in July 2010, the weather changed from glorious sun and a gentle breeze to torrential rain and gusty strong winds, however none of these changes in the elements stopped more than 180 wildly enthusiastic children, from 9 different primary local schools, taking to the water at Durleigh reservoir in Bridgwater to experience sailing and windsurfing taster sessions. All of the children involved received a Royal Yachting Association “Taste of Sailing” certificate to go into their Somerset Children’s University portfolio. The certificates were signed by Sarah Ayton an Olympic sailing gold medallist. The children had an amazing time, while they were being taught the rudiments of sailing or windsurfing under the watchful eyes and expert tuition of the volunteer Instructors from Somerset Youth & Community Sailing Association (SYCSA) and Durleigh Sailing Club. The children who took part would not normally get this opportunity, the result of the experience on the water, was that the children’s confidence visibly grew, and they were totally engaged as any qualms rapidly disappeared. As the sessions drew to a close, many of the wet but smiling sailors expressed their desire to come back and join in with the Saturday Morning Sailing Club or more windsurfing sessions.
All of these opportunities were made possible by a grant from Sedgemoor Learning Alliance and the “Have a Heart” Foundation towards new sails and wetsuits. Peter Branson the event organiser commented “we really needed the small sails on Thursday when the wind reached Force 4 – 5, without them we may have had to cancel sailing, which would have spoiled the fun for all of us. We are looking forward to repeating the event 2011 and are already looking for sponsorship”.