Five organisations sponsor fun boating activities for disabled people during Cowes Week Regatta.
With just days to wait until the start of Cowes Week, excitement is building about Cowes Sailability Club’s programme of accessible boating trips for disabled people. The charity is, once again, arranging motorboat excursions during the sailing regatta for island residents with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and debilitating medical conditions.
The trips are provided free of charge, thanks to funding that Cowes Sailability Club has secured from five organisations: Carisbrooke Shipping, the Isle of Wight High Sheriff’s Trust, Royal Southern Yacht Club Trust, the Daisie Rich Trust and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation. Each organisation is sponsoring a day on the water, enabling up to 180 people in total to enjoy an exciting day out on a wheelchair-accessible motor catamaran that has been specially adapted to cater for people with disabilities.
“Cowes Sailability Club has been arranging boating trips for adults and children with disabilities during Cowes Week for over ten years, and this event is a highlight in our calendar,” says Trish Rooke, the club’s Vice Commodore and Fundraising Officer. “The trips are very popular, as they enable disabled people to not only have fun on the water, but to do so accompanied by their families or a friend. We are so grateful to our sponsors for funding these trips and making it possible for disabled people on the Isle of Wight to have life-enriching experiences and make amazing memories.”
The trips will take place aboard Wetwheels Solent, a nine-metre catamaran that can accommodate up to ten passengers, including three wheelchair users, at any one time. The boat is owned and operated by the Wetwheels Solent, a not-for-profit Community Interest Company that provides barrier free boating opportunities for people of all ages and all abilities.
Carisbrooke Shipping owns or operates a fleet of over 30 modern dry cargo and multi-purpose vessels from offices in Cowes and Dordrecht in Holland. Founded in the 1960s, it transports cargo not only to the Isle of Wight, but all around the world.
The Isle of Wight High Sheriffs’ Trust was founded in 2000 and makes small, but vital, grants to benefit Island charities and community groups.
The Royal Southern Yacht Club is based on the Hamble River in South Hampshire. Funding was provided to Cowes Sailability Club from the Royal Southern Yacht Club Trust, which was set up following a bequest from the late Sir Michael Cobham to create opportunities for everyone to engage in sailing and boating activities.
The Daisie Rich Trust is a charitable grant-giving organisation that has been supporting the Isle of Wight community since 1955. It is dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of Island residents through its grants and donations programme, which covers a wide range of sectors.
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation is an independent charitable foundation and the largest grant maker to specialise in awarding grants across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.