Sailing club is on the crest of a wave with £30k grant..

Rye Harbour Sailing Club is riding along on the crest of a wave as its dream of being a club available to all is one step closer after Rother District Council approved a Community Grant of £30,000.
Commodore Caroline Wylson,  members of the RHSC fundraising team and the fundraising thermometer . SUS-160913-132835001Commodore Caroline Wylson,  members of the RHSC fundraising team and the fundraising thermometer . SUS-160913-132835001
Commodore Caroline Wylson, members of the RHSC fundraising team and the fundraising thermometer . SUS-160913-132835001

The decision was announced at Rother District Council’s (RDC) Cabinet meeting held at Bexhill Town Hall on Monday September 5.

Later that same day Rye Town Council, in support of Rye Harbour Sailing Club’s (RHSC) project to make sailing available to all, awarded the club a further £2,500.

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RHSC Commodore Caroline Wylson says she is delighted with the news. “This funding, along with our own money, goes towards our project to build a new shower block and changing rooms with accessible facilities so that we can provide sailing to less abled people. RHSC aims to set up Royal Yachting Association (RYA) backed RHSC Sailability, a charity, to get those less abled onto the water along with more 14 to 25 year olds, ” she said.

“We needed £146,000 and we have now raised £132,500 leaving an outstanding balance of £13,250. The approved sum of money from RDC and Rye Town Council has left us with a very realistic amount that we still need to find.”

The club was also awarded £75,000 from Sport England Inspired Facilities Fund, £2,500 from Little Cheyne Court Wind Farm and £250 from Icklesham Parish Council.

Caroline added: “The temperature on the thermometer is rising! The outstanding sum of money is easily attainable if we all pull together and support the club with ongoing fund raising activities.”

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Caroline says she hopes much of the remaining money needed to fund the project will be raised at a Pirate Fun Day, which includes dinghy taster sails, to be held at RHSC tomorrow (Saturday September 17) and the Commodore’s Dinner with Annual Auction of Donations, at The George in Rye on Friday September 30.

“The auction is just one of many fund raising drives to raise the remaining £13,500 so we can start the build,” she said.

“Grateful thanks go to everyone who has supported the applications along with the project and given up their time to make this wonderful achievement possible. I am absolutely delighted with the result and RHSC are grateful to RDC Community Grants and Rye Town Council for backing the project and the build can soon be underway. I thank the wonderful team at RHSC who have worked extremely hard and those in the local community who have supported us and are helping to fulfil our vision of a sailing club with facilities that are available to all.”

For information on future events visit the website at: www.rhsc.org.uk

Tickets to the Commodore’s Dinner email: [email protected], or call 01797 223112.