Winners of the 2026 RYA Young Person’s award, Chipstead Sailing Club, have been building confident young people through their excellent junior sailing programmes for years.

Based on Chipstead Lake in Kent, the club currently has around 100 junior members actively taking part in their lively community. 

With so many members, it takes a big team to deliver consistently impactful initiatives. Chipstead thrives thanks to the volunteers and family members that recognise the potential sailing has to help young people grow their confidence and become their best self through regular participation and fun on the water. 

The volunteers at Chipstead don’t just teach their junior crew skills for the water - they also want to help them learn to interact with other people. One way they do this is through providing opportunities for junior members to take on more responsibility within the club itself. 

“My son's started the instructor training program here. So, he's instructing with adult groups and with school groups, and he does the RYA courses. It's really helped him build confidence,” explains Helen, a member of Chipstead SC. “So, it's not just about the sailing. It's a lot about the community and different opportunities for learning life skills.”

In recent years, Chipstead have been able to put on more events for their juniors, especially those that love racing, and have achieved great recognition for their efforts with their recent RYA Award win.

“It's amazing. We have such a community here and we kind of learn from each other as well,” says Alice, a junior member of Chipstead SC. “Everybody's really friendly. You feel so welcome being new, whether it's from the great instructor or just the brilliant Oppie sailors, I feel like I learn so much every time I come.”

Kevin is proud to have seen the club recognised by the RYA Awards in 2026 and encourages other clubs to do the same. 

“Go for it. It's a great way to get your club recognised and it's a great way of recognising those volunteers,” he says. “And it's a great recognition of all the juniors and the great fun they have here.”