Grant boosts 'Sailing for All at Himley Hall' 

Club can cater for 300 more newcomers thanks to Sport England funding

There will be ‘Sailing for All at Himley Hall’ in 2012 after a £7,500 grant award from Sport England helped the Dudley-based sailing club buy two new boats, train new instructors and upgrade vital kit to help get even more local people out on the water.

Under its ‘Sailing for All’ banner, some 300 people will have the opportunity to try sailing for the first time at Himley Hall SC this year, with the club boosted by the arrival of a new high-performance RS Feva dinghy and a state-of-the-art safety boat, and the growth of its volunteer instructor ranks to support the increased activity.

Kids and women are a particular focus for the club, with Himley Hall SC setting up a new specialist Youth section to develop their talented youngsters while also providing a specific workshop for female sailors to improve their confidence, skills and racing abilities.

But you don’t have to be under 16 or female to really make the most of the chance to embrace family-friendly Himley Hall SC life this year, as club Commodore, Tony Sutton, explains.

“This whole project is about looking after those newcomers that want to learn to sail with us, regardless of gender, age and background, and providing them with a pathway to improve their skills over time, while also making sure we give our current members plenty of reasons to stay sailing with us and enjoy being part of our club’s exciting future.

"We want to try to encourage sailing as a sport, a hobby, and a form of healthy well being and fitness for all, and aim to make sailing available to all members of the community in an affordable manner.”

The new boats are set to be officially launched at Himley Park by the Mayor of Dudley, Councillor Michael Evans, accompanied by the Mayor’s Consort, Councillor Sue Greenaway on Saturday 17 March (10.30am). The event will also see the official unveiling of a Mirror dinghy, donated to the club by The Bridge radio presenter Mark Williams and his wife Pam, named ‘Andy Pandy’ in memory of Pam's late son.

The first of Himley Hall’s RYA Learn to Sail courses, for all skill levels, commence in April, with taster days open to all on 14 April, 23 June and 11 August (booking required).

As well as the standard beginners’ courses, Himley Hall SC is the only club within the Black Country to offer training to RYA Adult Level 2 and Junior Stage 3 for more advanced sailors.

RYA Midlands Regional Development Officer, Gareth Brookes, helped Himley Hall SC with its grant application. He said: “For people to stay in any sport they have to enjoy taking part, and the great thing about sailing is there is always something new to learn. People are more likely to enjoy themselves, and want to return, if clubs have first-class equipment. Himley Hall SC has worked hard to increase the number of sailing opportunities for the local community so we hope many more people will become regular sailors this year.”

Himley Hall SC is based on a 17 acre lake in the grounds of Himley Hall, Dudley, between Stourbridge, Dudley and Wolverhampton. For full details about what’s on offer at Himley Hall SC visit www.himleyhallsc.org.uk