RYA Cymru Wales blog – celebrating our volunteers

It is Volunteers Week and it feels right to pause for a moment to reflect upon the huge impact volunteers make across our community.

Words really fail to do justice to the sheer enormity of the voluntary work and roles which take place each and every day.

Whether organising events, laying on safety cover, running the bar, cleaning the changing rooms or filling in applications for funding - volunteers keep it all going.

We would like to express our thanks and gratitude to all those who volunteer and who bring our sport to life.

Naturally, we are keen not just to say thank you but to find ways to show our appreciation more fully and our Impact Awards are part of that work.

These recognise those who go above and beyond to support activities afloat in line with our strategy - Together on our Waters – to create a connected, inspired and inclusive Welsh sailing community, encouraging people to get on the water, stay on the water and give back.

To date, our Impact Awards have highlighted many examples of amazing volunteer work. They are the tip of the iceberg and you will know many others who deserve a thank you.

Please join us in extending a thanks to them too.

Nominate for our RYA Cymru Wales Impact Awards.

Diolch, James.

Valuing volunteers

Our sport is vibrant thanks to the invaluable support of volunteers who bring their time and enthusiasm to help others get on the water across Wales.

Volunteering is of course at the heart of our clubs and classes, and giving even a small amount of time can make a BIG difference! Volunteers also find it boosts their own mental health and morale, skills and wellbeing. Explore the value of volunteering – including a short film featuring our very own RYA CW Chair Sian Reynolds, at RYA Volunteering.

Additionally, Sport Wales has some handy tips and key insights for helping clubs to attract, recruit and retain those who give their enthusiasm to enable others to enjoy activities – you can find these at the Sport Wales club support hub under People in your Club.

Essential support

Volunteers are vital for keeping the grassroots of our sport vibrant – and the RYA CW team would also not be able to run events without the amazing people who help to make them happen!

We provide lunch for our volunteers and a ‘Diolch Hour’ drinks reception at each event to help us say a heartfelt thank you. And a key goal for the RYA CW team is to boost female volunteering, after our focus groups identified barriers including:

• Imposter Syndrome: ‘I always feel like everyone else knows what they’re doing. I’m just making it up as I go along.’
• Lifestyle Conflicts: ‘Trying to juggle volunteering with kids and everything else - it’s just exhausting. You want to help, but life gets in the way.’
• Male Dominated Environment: ‘It can feel intimidating to step into a role where most people are men.’
• Lack of clear role descriptions: ‘I was keen to help, but no one told me what to do.’

We’ve identified a number of solutions, including offering half day volunteering options at events; on water mentoring with male allies to develop skills and confidence; clearer role descriptions and volunteer briefings at events; and access to courses to support individuals who are keen to volunteer.

Perhaps some of these ideas might also be useful for your club or class to boost volunteering?

Discover all our current event volunteering opportunities or contact Performance Manager Sarah McGovern if you would like to find out more.

And finally…

Remember you can keep up with all our initiatives, events and opportunities by following RYA Cymru Wales on Facebook, X and Instagram.

See you on the water soon!

James, Sian, Hester, Hatty, Sarah & Paula.
RYA Cymru Wales team