Roseland Youth Sailing Trust

Roseland Youth Sailing Trust

Learning to sail gives young people confidence, self-esteem and skills of value in whichever career they choose. Where cost is a barrier, Roseland Youth Sailing Trust funds RYA sail training in primary and secondary schools in Cornwall, creating opportunities, changing lives and transforming communities. Everyone in Roseland Youth Sailing Trust works on a voluntary basis so that 100% of the funding we raise goes to getting children on the water. You can contribute online at https://www.ryst.org.uk/donate.

Why we exist

As all sailors know, sailing is exciting, physical, sociable and fun:

  • It teaches important values and skills for life
  • It gets children off their mobile phones and out into the fresh air

But that’s only half the story. Parents and teachers – and the children themselves – tell us learning to sail has changed lives for the better:

  • Increasing physical and mental well-being
  • Overcoming physical and psychological disabilities
  • Creating time and space to feel, think and act freely
  • Taking part in adventures that contribute to personal achievement
  • Boosting self-esteem and confidence
  • Fostering positive attitudes to school-work and improving classroom behaviour.
  • Developing a sense of responsibility for oneself and others.

But few schools have the resources to offer sail training.  That’s why Roseland Youth Sailing Trust organises and pays for sailing lessons by professional instructors, including helping children get RYA sailing qualifications. Our schools programme funds sail training for:

  • Primary school children in Years 5 & 6
  • Secondary school children in Years 7 to 11
  • Since launch in 2015, we’ve funded sail training for 740 children in 18 schools in Cornwall.

How you can help

Sail training currently costs £4500 per year for a class of 20, which is why annual donations by standing order are so important to us, helping us pay for instruction by RYA-certified trainers and for equipment used in approved sailing centres.

  • You can donate online at https://www.ryst.org.uk/donate
  • Or set up a standing order into our account:
    • Roseland Youth Sailing Trust
    • Sort code: 20-87-94
    • Account number: 03520862
  • Please give your name and address so we can identify you and report back to you each year on the results you’re helping achieve.

Support for individuals on the Roseland

While most of the funding we raise is deployed through our schools programme, we do try to help parents who have chosen to educate their children at home and who would like them to learn to sail at the Club, but who – like the parents of children in our schools programme – can’t afford to pay for lessons. To find out if your child may be eligible for support, please contact our chairman Dina Wheatcroft at dina@ryst.org.uk.

For current feedback see the RYST Facebook page

All of recipients are encouraged to report back to the trust and examples will appear on this page from time to time.