Eric Twiname
Eric was a uniquely
talented individual - a civil engineer by profession, an accomplished musician,
sailing journalist and a prolific writer of articles, books and plays.
Two of his books, “The Rules Book” and “Start to Win”, are still in
publication. Above all he was a superb
sailor and a regular winner of championship events, notably in the GP14,
Firefly, Laser and International Canoe classes, as well as being a great
proponent of team racing. He also had a profound influence on the
administration of sailing, serving on the RYA’s Racing Rules Committee as well
as acting as advisor in 1975 to the Admiral’s Cup team and the British team at
the 1976 Olympic Games.
About the Trust
Eric’s untimely death in 1980 saw the
subsequent establishment of the trust in order to continue his legacy, not
least his teaching and coaching of young dinghy sailors. Registered as a charity in 1991, its aim is to encourage
and support young people in full time education at schools or universities in the UK
to sail, the emphasis being on competitive racing dinghy sailing. To
that effect it provides grants and funding for sailing events and equipment, in
particular club training dinghies. The aim is to spread the trust’s funds
across as wide a spectrum of sailing as possible with support focused on
sailing clubs and associations rather than individuals.
Legacy of the Trust
Since its inception in 1980, up until the end of 2017, the trust will have spent
well in excess of £1.5 million on support for youth sailing, including the funding
of:
Dinghies and Sailboards: some 324 dinghies and sailboards for use as
club training boats, with 217 of this total comprising subsidised/ discounted cost RS Tera
Sports dinghies to encourage sailing clubs to establish 'grass roots' Junior fleets
and Junior race training programmes. Three flights of six new RS Fevas
have also been funded for clubs that support and promote team racing.
Support RIBS: the on-going provision and insurance of support RIBS for RYA
recognised youth and junior classes, the latest RIB ET32 being awarded to the UK
RS Feva Class Association.
Events: lead sponsorship of the RYA Eric Twiname Championships, the premier
national multi-class event for junior regional teams in the UK, and the RYA
Eric Twiname Youth and Junior Team Racing Championships, both annual events in
their 31st and 16th consecutive years respectively.
Supporting the Trust
The trust provides funding for such worthwhile
causes from its investments and to a lesser extent further additional revenue
from fundraising events and private donations. All donations,
whether from individuals or from organisations, are warmly welcomed. As a
charity the trust is able to reclaim basic rate income tax on subscriptions and
donations paid under Deed of Covenant or Gift Aid. The simplest way to donate
is via the trust’s account with JustGiving’s on-line charity fundraising
website www.justgiving.com/erictwinametrust.
Applications to the Trust
Any
recognised group may apply for aid (NB: but regrettably not from individuals).
An email or letter will suffice although further information about the project
may be requested. Email details and the Trust’s address are given below.
Address your letter to:
The Eric Twiname Trust
26 Ashcombe Avenue
Southborough
Surbiton
Surrey
KT6 6QA
Tel: 07767 262561
E Mail: bruce8ken@btinternet.com
www.erictwinametrust.org
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