RYA Northern Ireland an official registered charity: What it means and why it was done

RYA Northern Ireland has officially changed its status from a listed company to a registered charity.

This decision, which involved discussion among the RYA Northern Ireland board and consultation of RYA affiliated clubs in Northern Ireland, will financially benefit the organisation and ultimately help to develop sailing across the country.

When RYA Northern Ireland’s five-year strategy, Navigating The Future, was launched in 2023, one of the strategic foundations which was outlined was to attract more funding.

Becoming a registered charity means that RYA Northern Ireland will become eligible for more grants and it makes the organisation more attractive to corporate sponsorship. It also allows us to fundraise more effectively, claiming gift aid on donations.

Being a charity also opens up support mechanisms, where it is possible to access additional advice and support around governance and financial procedures.

Will you see changes to how RYA NI operates?

There are no fundamental changes in terms of how RYA Northern Ireland will operate on a day-to-day basis, but you may see some changes to the structure and detail in our future Annual Reports and Accounts.

As the charitable status has been confirmed in 2025, the organisation is not required to ‘report’ as a charity until the end of the 2025/26 financial year (its first full year as a charity), so there is unlikely to be any major changes to our reporting for this year.

The launch of the Individual Grant Schemewas a step towards ensuring RYA Northern Ireland is supporting those most in need of financial support and we will be continuing to fundraise for this scheme moving forwards.

We are extremely thankful to affiliated organisations for voting for this change and if you have any further questions about RYA Northern Ireland’s transition to become a registered charity, please contact greg.yarnall@rya.org.uk