Image: Emily Whiting photography

All UK sailing clubs can now enter Sunsail’s Funding the Future competition 2018-19.

Sunsail is committed to supporting grassroots sailing in the UK as Funding the Future 2018-19 launches for a third year, and sailing clubs have until midnight 6 January 2019 to submit the winning 500-word entry, online or by post.

As well as the top prize of £5,000, the winning sailing club will be treated to a live Q&A with double Olympic medallist and Volvo Ocean Race winner, Ian Walker. There are two runners-up prizes of £2,000 and a separate prize of £1,000 dedicated solely to University sailing clubs. The Funding the Future prize money can be used to improve the club’s facilities, equipment and coaching capabilities; increase membership; promote youth and sailability participation or launch other initiatives to support the club.

Last year’s winners, Burwain Sailing Club were thrilled to scoop the top prize of £5,000 at the RYA Dinghy Show in March.

Peter from Burwain Sailing Club said: “Thanks to Sunsail’s Funding the Future campaign, in May our five additional Optimists joined the fleet and it has been brilliant. As well as being used by our club sailors, children from our local primary school have been learning to sail in the Optimists. We were thrilled to receive thank you letters from all the school children that had been out on the water and that the local community is really benefiting.”

Burwain Sailing Club has made excellent use of their five Optimists and introduced sailing to around 60 local primary school children as well as recruiting new members to join the club’s junior group – ‘Sailfish’. The club members have represented Burwain SC at several national and world championships in the UK, Europe and USA this summer and are all set to welcome double Olympic medallist, Volvo Ocean Race winner, and RYA Director of Racing, Ian Walker MBE in Spring 2019 as part of their winning investment proposal.

Ian Walker adds, “For anyone thinking of entering Funding the Future, be sure to get your entry in on time – the closing date for entries is the 6 January 2019 and I would encourage any club to enter.  As judges we want to see Sunsail’s investment go as far as it can to make the sport of sailing as accessible as possible through your club. We are dedicated to getting as many people sailing as possible. We love our sport and believe that everyone who wants to have a go should get the chance.”
Postal entries should be sent to: Funding the Future c/o Sunsail, DST House, St Marks Hill, Surbiton, KT6 4BH

www.sunsail.co.uk/funding-the-future

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