Sailing charity given £2.9k

Young people can look forward to sailing on the River Stour this summer thanks to a charity receiving a generous donation.

Newsquest Media Group marked the start of 2020 by donating more than £140,000 to 40 different community organisations across the country.

One of the organisations benefitting from a slice of the funding is the Manningtree-based charity, My Blue Pass.

The Harwich and Manningtree Standard handed a cheque for £2,950 to the charity’s chairman, Garron Baines.

Baines says the cash will go towards six dinghies and storage racks for delivering sail training sessions to young people on the River Stour.

The grants are made through the Gannett Foundation UK, whose trustees worked through a pile of applications lodged through Newsquest’s 200 news titles and magazines.

Baines says he was very grateful to receive the cheque.

He says: “We launched last year and we now have 180 members.

“The charity gives young people the chance to work as a team.

“We also work with the headteachers of local schools to see what young people can benefit from the charity.”

The charity is holding its first free taster session of the year at Manningtree Beach for new sailors on Sunday, May 10.

Then on May 23 until May 27, the charity is holding a trip for seven young people aged from 12 to 16 years old on the Blue Mermaid barge for a sailing expedition.

During the summer there will also be sail training sessions off the beach in Manningtree for beginners with qualified Royal Yachting Association instructors.

Wednesday evening sessions will run for youngsters who sailed with the charity last season.

The Royal Hospital School will also be providing a fleet of day boats for a sail on the river in June, and Ipswich Canoe Club will be offering kayak training sessions.

Baines adds: “We want to build on what we did last year and put sailing on the map on the River Stour so people can develop their sailing skills.

“It’s very liberating and enables people to discover themselves and develop a passion for being out on the water.”

The charity is for eight to 16-year-olds in Manningtree and its surrounding area, reports the Harwich and Manningtree Standard.