Investigate how Marconi Sailing solved the problem they had with an increasing membership of adult sailors who didn't own a boat
Find out how Priory SC increased racing particaption on their 'Lazy Sundays'
Creating new groups within your club brings together like-minded members
Take a look at how cruising in company can increase confidence and participation
Take a look at how one training centre reinvigorated its adults sailing programme
Increasing the number of volunteer instructors had positive unintended consequences for this club
Take a look at how the internet can help support retention
Take a look at how a club and training centre worked together to increase race participation
Take a look at how one club increased the number of yacht crews which increased club racing
See how one club developed their Laser fleet racing
Take a look at how one day of training increased confidence and increased participation
By running one short course has enabled another crew to regularly participate in club racing
Take a look at how a new direction has increased participation and income for Queen Mary SC
Upskilling your volunteers is key to giving them and your members a rewarding experience
Run one of our courses and see what impact it can have on membership engagement
Take a look at how a new initiative has made all the difference
Case study – setting up a club crèche
We spoke to Sophie who led the setting up of the London Corinthian Sailing Club crèche in 2017. Sophie had a young baby but she and other parents wanted to continue to sail. They put a business case to the committee who supported the initiative. Sophie explained what they needed to get the crèche started:
- Leadership – someone needs to drive the process, preferably a club member with experience of project planning and problem solving
- Interpreting the Ofsted guidance to ensure that the crèche is exempt from compulsory registration - the RYA’s new guidance will help with this. The LCSC crèche is open for 3½ hours (Ofsted maximum is 4) and parents have to factor in time spent rigging, de-rigging and changing as well as sailing time. Sailing takes place close to the clubhouse, so they can radio the safety boat to bring a parent ashore straight away if needed, fulfilling the Ofsted requirement that parents must be ‘within the immediate area’. A club on the coast or on a large lake would have to think carefully about how to achieve this.
- Physical changes – following a risk assessment, the LCSC had to put guards over the radiators in the room they use for the crèche, and prevent their sash windows from opening fully.
- Toys – parents donate toys when they register to use the crèche, and children often bring their own on the day.
- Volunteers – the LCSC counts volunteering in the crèche as a club duty. Parents don’t pay for the childcare, but are encouraged to volunteer.
There must always be two adults on duty, at least one of whom has completed paediatric first aid training. Anyone volunteering for more than one session is asked to apply for a DBS check (the RYA facilitates the checks). As with any voluntary duty, finding the required two adults for every session can be a challenge. The investment in time and a small amount of money has certainly had a positive impact in enabling more parents of young children to continue to sail and race.
Take a look at our Creche guidance notes here