RYA Midlands blog – June 2024
As we enter June and approach the half way point of the calendar year, clubs and centres are definitely busy with activity and sessions afloat. It has also been good to see some of the RYA regional support programmes delivered again this month, with great outcomes….
The participants in our latest group of Aspiring Female Powerboat Instructors have all successfully completed their training course and qualification – congratulations!
This gives the Midlands region six new RYA Powerboat Instructors and as ever, if anyone is interested in taking part in this programme, please get in touch.
We also had two people joining us for a Women on Water day at Burton Sailing Club, where they were able to develop their skills and explore pathways into instructing and coaching.
Both of these regional initiatives coincided by chance with World Sailing’s Steering the Course festival, which aims to highlight the achievements of women and inspire others to get on the water or develop their involvement in the sport.
Our projects in the Midlands are a really good way to encourage women who may not otherwise have the confidence to come forward, providing additional resources for clubs and centres to support their activities and also female role models for the future.
RYA Club Membership Census data for the last two years shows that female club membership in the Midlands is at 38%, in line with the England average and up from previous years, which is not bad but it’s still not equal, so we’re keen to keep making progress.
Club Membership Census
This is now live for 2024 and the person at your club who usually deals with this, typically the secretary, should have received an RYA email to complete it for this year.
If you haven’t seen this please get in touch with Victoria Lenz and for those who are filling it in, please aim to do so as close as possible to the date you submitted it in 2023 to allow both your club and the RYA to spot important changes year-to-year.
The census results are vital for driving the focus of our work in the region and really help us to understand what’s going on in terms of membership trends, challenges and opportunities.
Each club also receives its own bespoke report, so you can see how your own membership has changed over time and compares regionally and nationally - while the census is crucial for the RYA, it’s also an incredibly useful source of information for clubs.
The deadline for submitting this year’s RYA Club Membership Census is 11 August 2024.
We’ll then share the key headlines as part of our RYA Connected event for the Midlands region at Brockington College in Leicestershire on Sunday 17 November 2024 - save the date!
Volunteering
It’s also been Volunteer Week this month and a fantastic example of how our sport benefits from those willing to give their time emerged from two recent county shows, after clubs borrowed our RYA Midlands event trailers to raise their profile.
Rutland Sailing Club won second prize for its stand at Rutland County Show, while Burton Sailing Club accompanied by Blithfield Sailing managed to scoop the top prize for the best stand at the Staffordshire County Show!
We have two event trailers for clubs to borrow for open days and high footfall events, and it was fantastic to see them making an impact – all of which is thanks to the efforts of the volunteers who made it possible, including the RYA Midlands Regional Volunteer Team, who manage the trailers, and the club members who put in the hours taking them on tour to raise awareness about what the sport has to offer.
It was a really good example of volunteers coming together to make an impact and encourage more people to get on the water. A big thank you to those involved and all who likewise go the extra mile to support activities afloat in the region!
Racing pathways
The youth and junior racing pathway is evolving and to explain the rationale, and give clubs an opportunity to learn more, a series of webinars is now open for booking.
These will help you to dig into the detail of how our programmes are changing to better support sailors and their families, and to meet the changing needs of the sport.
An email to raise awareness about developments in the RYA Youth and Junior Pathway and the upcoming webinars has been sent out to clubs by RYA Director of Racing Nick Scott.
You can join Nick for the first webinar at 5pm on Tuesday 18 June 2024. Further webinars will then explore Pathway Clubs, Class Association Partnerships, Talent Academies and British Youth Sailing Team and RYA Events.
Sign up for the Pathway Evolution Webinar Series.
RYA Awards
Nominations are now open for the 2025 RYA Awards, which will bring together the previous Club of the Year and Volunteer Awards into one celebration.
The awards will recognise the outstanding contribution to the sport made by RYA affiliated organisations and volunteers across the UK.
Anyone can nominate, so please do take a look and have a think about putting those who go the extra mile to make a real difference in the spotlight!
Find out more about the new RYA Awards and make a nomination.
And finally…
It’s not long now until Paris 2024 and you might want to make the most of the opportunity to share the excitement of the Olympic sailing with your members and local communities.
In previous years clubs have organised regatta days and medal race ‘watch parties’ – made easier this year with the European time zone. You may also find it a useful marketing tool for Discover Sailing events to invite people to try an Olympic sport.
It's definitely worth having a think about what you might do alongside the Games to exploit the heightened awareness around sailing which will come with the TV coverage and hopefully some British Sailing Team medals!
Keep up with all the latest news and opportunities by following our social media channels Facebook and X and by bookmarking RYA Midlands.
Until next time,
Ben.