RYA Sailability wins Charity Award 2005

RYA Sailability has won a major prize at The Charity Awards 2005, the charity sector’s most prestigious award scheme.

The charity, which encourages and enables people with disabilities to go sailing, was nominated alongside two other organisations in the ‘Disability’ category and picked up the coveted award at a glittering awards ceremony in London on 16th June.

The annual Charity Awards ceremony is the most high profile event on the charity world calendar. The awards recognise excellence in the management of charities, acknowledging the outstanding work and achievements of all charities, big or small, from across the UK and the tireless commitment of the people behind them. This is the sixth year that the awards have taken place and RYA Sailability sits in illustrious company alongside RNID, Age Concern and the Samaritans.

The Charity Awards judges recognised the excellent work RYA Sailability has undertaken in enabling over 16,000 disabled people to go sailing.

The Charity Awards 2005 is organised by Charity Finance magazine, the leading business publication for the voluntary sector. The distinguished panel of judges includes David Harker OBE, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, Ian Allsop, Editor of Charity Finance magazine, Cedric Frederick, Chief Executive of PentaHact, Sir Nicholas Young, Chief Executive of the Red Cross and Maeve Sherlock OBE, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council.

Daniel Phelan, organiser of The Charity Awards 2005 commented:

“As the role of the voluntary sector grows in importance, particularly its increasing role in the provision of public services, it is vital that charities work together to maximise this effect. We have worked hard this year to recognise and reward charities that have forged creative and collaborative working partnerships that have an exponential effect on the success of their campaigns. By winning RYA Sailability has demonstrated that they are among the best-managed charities in the UK.

Clive Clifford, CEO of RYA Sailability, said that the award marked the charity's coming of age as a National Charity and was accepted on behalf of the many hundreds of volunteers, their clubs and the thousands of disabled and able bodied sailors who have made it happen.

For further information about RYA Sailability contact Connie Power 0845 345 0403

Nelson was our best known disabled sailor and during this year, the 200th anniversary of Trafalgar, RYA Sailability is asking the boating community to make a special effort in helping raise £500,000 needed to continue its work throughout the UK.

· RYA Sailability is the leading UK charity for disabled sailing and is the official charity of the RYA.

• · Established to encourage and support people with disabilities to take up sailing and other boating activities and integrate them into the boating community.
• · Supports over 200 recognised sites for disabled sailing throughout the UK, which in 2003, were used by more than 15,000 disabled sailors.
• · Over 10% of the UK population are disabled and a Policy Studies Institute report has indicated that at least 60,000 of these would take up sailing if given the opportunity.

Patron: HRH The Princess Royal KG, KT, GCVO, QSO

Registered Charity No. 1084351

Connie Power
Communications Administrator

Direct Line: 023 80604247
E-mail: connie.power@ryasailability.org

RYA House
Ensign Way
Hamble
Southampton
SO31 4YA

Website: www.rya.org.uk/sailability