Awards for London and South East's unsung heroes
Traditionally taking place at an awards ceremony in London, the RYA Volunteer Awards recognise and say ‘thank you’ to volunteers who have made an outstanding contribution to the sport with recipients nominated by their sailing clubs, class associations and members of the boating community. This year due to the ongoing pandemic, some winners will be presented with their awards at small presentations held at their sailing venues whilst others receive them from the safety of their homes.
The awards in our region go to:
RYA National Award:
- Cynthia Robinson, Royal Institute of Navigation
Lifetime Commitment Awards:
- Robert Daws, Chipstead Sailing Club
- Julie and Jeff Maidment, Maidenhead Sailing Club
- Douglas Reed, Crawley Mariners Yacht Club
Outstanding Contribution Awards:
- Malcolm Brown, Maidenhead Sailing Club
- Martine Clayson, London Corinthian Sailing Club
- Karen Smailes, Reading Sailing Club
Youth Award:
- Hugh Leach, Reading Sailing Club
You can read more about the winners here
Ian Walker MBE, the President of Chipstead Sailing Club and Director of Racing at the RYA presented Robert Daws with his award (photo above) and stayed on for a coaching session with the club's juniors.
Sarah Treseder, RYA Chief Executive said: “This year more than ever before we have seen our club volunteers come together and work tirelessly to ensure members can continue to sail. The generosity and dedication of each of the RYA Volunteer Award recipients is simply outstanding and it’s a pleasure to be able to recognise these winners through this award”.
Why not nominate that deserving person in your club for the 2021 awards? Nominations will open in December 2020, close in April 2021 and the presentations be made in November 2021. Find out more about making nominations