National Lottery grant enables order to be placed for new safety boat
Trustees of Cowes Sailability Club are excited to reveal that fundraising for a new safety boat has reached 90% of the overall target. As a result, the charity has now placed its order for a new rigid inflatable boat (RIB), which should be available in time to support disability sailing on the Isle of Wight from the start of the 2025 season.
This major fundraising milestone was achieved thanks to a significant grant of £20,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK.
David Codd, a Trustee of Cowes Sailability Club, says:
“We are delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised the importance of our work with disabled people on the Isle of Wight. Now, thanks to National Lottery players, we are very close to achieving our fundraising target. We are confident of securing the remaining funds by the end of the year, through planned fundraising activities. Consequently, we have placed the order for the new safety boat, and construction has commenced.”
Trish Rooke, Fundraising Officer and Vice Commodore of Cowes Sailability Club, adds:
“We have had such a tremendous response to our appeal for a new safety boat. I think people recognise the value of providing fulfilling outdoor activities for people with disabilities and realise that a safety boat is absolutely essential for what we do. As well as The National Lottery Community Fund, we have received generous donations from other grant providers, trusts and individuals, for which we are incredibly grateful. Our volunteers have also been busy fundraising, and I would like to thank everyone who has helped us achieve 90% of our target amount within one year.”
Cowes Sailability Club provides weekly sailing activities for people with disabilities from May until September every year in Cowes. It has three accessible sailing boats but these are only used when a safety boat is also available to supervise sailing and provide assistance when needed. The charity’s current safety boat, Zebedee, has provided many years of good service. It is being replaced by a new and larger safety boat to safeguard sailing activities for disabled people into the future.
The new safety boat is being built by Island RIBs Limited, an Isle of Wight company with an excellent reputation for RIB design and manufacture. It will be 6.8 metres in length and include a Suzuki outboard engine, a fixed VHF radio with antenna and navigational equipment. Island RIBs will provide training, servicing and maintenance throughout the lifetime of the new safety boat.
About The National Lottery Community Fund
National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. Thanks to them, last year The National Lottery Community Fund was able to distribute over half a billion pounds (£615.4 million) of life-changing funding to communities. To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk
