Isle of Wight-based businesses have lent their support to UKSA’s youth development programmes with the sponsorship of 5 new RS Quba dinghies.
The dinghies have been sponsored by Spinlock, Wightfibre, Red Funnel and Barton Estate and were named by UKSA Ambassador and Paralympic Gold and Bronze medallist Helena Lucas MBE last Friday (28th July). Reverend Andrew Poppe blessed the boats at the special reception, held at UKSA.
Children and young people will be using the new dinghies to get out on the water with Cowes-based UKSA. Many of them will be taking part in UKSA’s Test the Water programme or the National Citizen Service (NCS) programme, delivered at UKSA, and for some it will be their first time out on the water.
UKSA CEO, Ben Willows, explains more:
“There are many young people who will not have the chance to experience the challenge and fun of watersports. Our programmes give them the chance to experience the thrill of being out on the water and thanks to the support from local businesses and the delivery of five new dinghies, we can continue to offer them the best possible experience at UKSA.”
Spinlock, designers and manufacturers of rope holding equipment and personal safety products for leisure and commercial water users, sponsored 2 dinghies, named Headspin and Tailspin as chosen by Spinlock staff. Spinlock’s Operations Director Caroline Senior said:
“We are proud to have worked closely with UKSA for the last 15 years and it’s great to see the children come away from their time there filled with water confidence. It is amazing to think that thousands of local children will sail on boats we have provided and we look forward to seeing the distinctive blue hulls and sails coming up the river past our head office.”
A third dinghy, sponsored by Wightfibre, was purchased thanks to the monies raised at the Wightfibre Star Wars Charity Premiere, held in 2015. Wightfibre chose to ask the public to name the dinghy, with the winning name ‘Princess Leia’ announced at the special event. Wightfibre’s CEO John Irvine said:
“As a local, Isle of Wight based company, WightFibre tries to give back to our community where we can. UKSA is an important charity which helps many young people on the Island, as well as further afield, and because of this WightFibre has supported UKSA over many years. We are delighted to further this with our dinghy sponsorship.”
Barton Estate’s dinghy was named Lotte and Red Funnel’s was named Red Robin.
On naming the 5 dinghies, Helena Lucas MBE said:
“It’s fantastic seeing UKSA getting so many kids out on the water, not just from the Isle of Wight, but from all over the country. It’s quite remarkable what they have managed to achieve.”
