Southampton charity Jubilee Sailing Trust faces closure

The Jubilee Sailing Trust is facing closure once again, unless it can raise a minimum of £500,000 within a week, and a total of £1.2 million by the end of September 2022.

The Southampton-based sailing charity, which has a 44-year-history, says it has been deeply affected by the pandemic and the cost of living crisis, leading to severe cash-flow problems.

“We are in a desperately difficult situation and have to face the harsh reality that we may not be able to continue,” says Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST) CEO Patrick Fleming. “In recent weeks we have worked with our advisers Grant Thornton, Hill Dickinson and Natwest bank but we have so far been unable to achieve a sustainable solution.”

The Jubilee Sailing Trust previously faced closure in 2019. It managed to raise £1m in five days after an emergency fundraising effort.

The charity’s tall ship SV Tenacious is understood to be the only tall ship in the world that is fully accessible to a mixed ability crew of disabled and non-disabled people.

The organisation, which was unable to benefit from the government’s Covid Recovery Loan scheme, relies on fundraising and subsidised berths for voyages to fund its operations.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the charity has had very limited opportunities to sail, only recently restarting its voyage programme. 

“The JST was founded in 1978 through the extraordinary vision and foresight of a dedicated group of people working against the odds to make their dream a reality,” says Fleming.

“Our co-founder, Christopher Rudd, first began working with disabled children by teaching them to sail in dinghies. He believed that most of the constraints that prevented them sailing further offshore were artificial and could be overcome. He also believed that if disabled and non-disabled people were to sail alongside each other, it would help break down the prejudices and misunderstandings between different social groups. His vision was to use thoughtful design and equipment to create a fully accessible ship to be crewed by a mixed ability crew.

“Our historic journey started with the generous support of the Queen’s Jubilee Fund, and the Royal Household. It is incredibly sad that we face closure, particularly in this, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Year.”

The charity is now welcoming donations through ThinkDonate.