20,000 children ‘Sail for a Fiver’

The Chesil Sailing Trust has celebrated 20,000 children being able to ‘Sail for a Fiver’ this week with a £355 sailing course give-away. Year 6 pupil Athena Jones from Portland’s Atlantic Academy was the lucky recipient of the prize.

Her headteacher Melissa Heppell says the scheme provides a fantastic opportunity to their students: “We bring our Year 6s down here every year for a day on the water thanks to the Rod Shipley Sail for a Fiver scheme. They have an amazing time and the scheme means that some of our children who wouldn’t have the opportunity to be on the water get on the water, use the fantastic facilities at the sailing academy and have an absolute blast.

“Some of the children aren’t water-confident and they’re a it nervous to start with, but they all come back with massive smiles on their faces. They absolutely love every minute of it and it’s great to see them having fun out on the water in their local area.”

The Rod Shipley Sail for a Fiver scheme was started in 2003 and has been able to continue largely due to generous contributions from Rod’s wife. Rod died in 2012 and she wanted to ensure the funding carried on and the programme could expand so that local young people can benefit from the scheme.

Currently around 2,500 children benefit and Chair of the Chesil Sailing Trust, John Tweed, says the scheme is an important part what the Sailing Academy offers: “It offers local children the opportunity to sail or windsurf for a fiver, with the fund making up the difference.

“Whilst this is a national sailing academy, with top-class competitors and Olympians here, we wanted to make sure the local community also got the opportunity to use it and it didn’t just become an elite facility.”

Some young people who have started out in the Sail for a Fiver scheme have gone on to sail competitively or become instructors themselves.

Story by Wessex FM News.