Scottish Club Chat - June 2024

As we continue on in a busy season afloat, it’s been great celebrating some inspirational volunteer stories throughout the latter half of May and into this month, marking Volunteers’ Week which ran from the 3^rd to the 9^th of June. To hear from some of these individuals (including Kim from Royal Gourock Yacht Club who is pictured above), why not visit our social media feeds and have a scroll. A huge thank you from us to everyone out there making a positive contribution to our sport.

Also across the past months, from the sands at St Andrews to boats at Banff, Rhys Gorman, Regional Development Officer – East, has continued his way around the region to introduce himself to clubs. There have been several fantastic Discover Sailing events, including Royal Forth Yacht Club who had representatives from external organisations such as the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, Scottish Wildlife Trust, and St Andrew’s First Aid. Rhys has also been on the road introducing RTCs to the RYA OnBoard programme through a series of training days offered by RYA Scotland. This is one of the tools fuelling discussions focused on engaging young people – more to come shortly!

The River Tay was a glassy still when Laura Cowan, RDO – West, arrived for the Launch of Wormit Boating Club’s Electric RIB. Commodore Ralph Webster hosted the event, introducing Andrew, the club’s Power Boat Lead Instructor who took the boat on her inaugural trip. Also on hand was Archie Dowdell from Wormit Primary who provided the winner in the boat naming competition, the Star Wars-themed eWOC (Electrical Wormit Operational Craft). Archie had the honour of christening the boat with a wee dram of whiskey poured over the bow. He was joined by his mum and dad in taking her for a spin in the beautiful surroundings which with the introduction of an electric RIB can be sustainably preserved free of fuel and noise pollution.

As touched on, the start of June marked Volunteers’ Week, providing an opportunity to recognise, celebrate, and thank all our incredible volunteers for their massive contributions to our local communities, the voluntary sector, and society as a whole. Clubs can continue the momentum of the week and grow and support their team of volunteers with the RYA Scotland Volunteer Development Framework. Speak to your RDO who can help clubs review, recruit, retain, and reward their volunteers.

Oban Sailing Club was successful in their innovative approach to volunteer recruitment with their recent I would love to volunteer but… campaign. They were able to engage more members in conversations, improve their understanding of volunteering at the club, and ultimately get more people involved! Club leaders also learned a lot themselves which will surely guide future activities. Visit the club’s Facebook page to see what they did.

sportscotland continues to celebrate volunteers throughout the month of June with their theme of Volunteer in Sport. Share your volunteer stories on social media and include #VolunteerInSport.

Sportscotland is set to provide a £1 million investment package to benefit sport in Orkney, including support of the Orkney 2025 Island Games.

An award will allow for the purchase of 24 ILCA sailing boats to be used during the games. With the support of RYA Scotland these boats will be redistributed for the wider benefit of the Scottish sailing community after the event. Many of them will remain in Orkney to be used by local sailing clubs, while others will be moved to benefit other rural and island communities. Watch this space!

RYA Scotland wants to support your event! RYA Scotland is aiming to provide support to several clubs/centres in running first-time opportunity events such as open days, tasters, or transition days. The support offered will be bespoke, based on the request, RYA Scotland’s available resources, and follow-up conversations and may include some financial support, a coach or instructor, or other tangible assistance. Speak to your RDO or register your interest today.

On Course for the Future is RYA Scotland’s new development framework for RYA-affiliated clubs and centres. The framework is comprised of several guides to help you continue to develop and effectively steer the direction of your organisation. Explore the document yourself or with your fellow leaders; then reach out to your RDO to discuss how and where to get started with it.

What is happening at your club or centre? Our Development Team is here to support you, so don’t hesitate to contact us if you need help. But we also want to hear about your successes and even ordinary stuff. Email us (Development@RYAScotland.org.uk) or tag RYA Scotland on social media or share your newsletters with your RDO. We would also love to know if you are planning a Discover Sailing day or another open event in 2024.

We want to see even more deserving people recognised through our RYA Scotland Impact Awards in 2024. Nominations are open year-round for you to put forward those who make a difference to your boating. Whether that’s an inspirational person, team, or organisation – we want to hear from you! Get involved now – your nomination could become cause for celebration! View previous winners on the RYAS YouTube Channel.

Here are a few funding options to consider:

• RYA Foundation Youth Fund
• RYA Scotland Class Grants, supporting training, events, and regatta attendance in Scotland;
• National Lottery Awards for All Scotland (Please ensure your RDO is aware of any application for this funding as they will likely be consulted during the review process).
• Aldi Scottish Sport Fund: deadline for Glasgow & The West is 23 June; applications for Dundee & Tayside from 24 June to 28 July
• Tesco Stronger Starts;
• Bruce Wake Charitable Trust, for the provision of leisure activities for people with physical disabilities;
• The Sportsman’s Charity;
• Marine Fund Scotland 2024-2025.

All the best from The Development Team – Laura, Brian, Rhys, Liza & Naseef

10/6/2024