Inspiration Inspiring more people to explore and learn through being on water.
Inspiring at all levels Here are a few things we’ve done to inspire this year:
• Distributed over £500,000 of direct community funding to sailing organisations connecting with priority audiences through the Sport England Tackling Inequalities and Together Funds.
• Expanded RYA OnBoard clubs and centres grew to over 300 venues across the UK.
• Celebrated dinghy and small vessel enthusiasts at the RYA Dinghy and Watersports Show in February.
• Presented 81 awards to outstanding candidates at our 2023 Volunteer Awards.
• Named Freddie Jablonski RYA Yachtmaster of the Year, inspiring him to work towards becoming an examiner in the maritime field.
• Continued our work to support young sailors under 25-years of age who don’t have the opportunity or financial backing to achieve their boating goals through the RYA Foundation Youth Fund.
In focus: A glimpse of gold
What we did In line with the RYA’s aim of hosting a major Olympic Classes event once every four years, we hosted a successful Olympic qualification event in September 2023. 112 athletes from 28 nations raced at the Formula Kite European Championships run by the RYA, our event partners in Portsmouth and made possible with National Lottery funding from UK Sport. With only a year to go until kite foiling’s debut at the Paris Olympics 2024, Ellie Aldridge inspired us all when she took home the gold and won her first European title on Eastney beach.
Why we did it
We want to host major events like this to grow our sport in the UK and create opportunities for experienced sailors to compete, and for members of the public to experience the excitement of our sport.
400 local schoolchildren, some from Portsmouth’s most deprived wards, attended our Formula Kite European Championships event and learnt more about what the water has to offer. The children engaged in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) experiments learning how kites and foils work, took part in SwimSafe sessions to help build their water confidence, and got the chance to try wingsurfing.
In providing the children with these experiences, we showed that the water really is for everyone whilst educating them on important matters and improving their water safety. This led to an 11% increase in positive feelings around wanting to do more activities in and around the water amongst those that participated. A community partnership has now been established with the Andrew Simpson Centre Portsmouth to offer 250 follow on sessions during 2024.
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RYA Annual Strategic Report 2024
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