This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 9th, 2014at 12:20 pm by zoe.leahy@activenation.org.uk

New ABP Southampton Sailing Academy Launched by Olympic Hero

Britain’s greatest ever Olympic sailor, Sir Ben Ainslie, jumped onboard with the Southampton Water Activities Centre team to celebrate a new sailing academy funded by Associated British Ports.

Hundreds of youngsters from inner-city Southampton are going to get a taste of life on the water, thanks to the new ABP Southampton Sailing Academy. ABP has donated £10,000 to Active Nation’s Southampton Water Activities Centre (SWAC) to fund sailing taster sessions for 8-16 year olds at schools in the heart of the city.

Those children who want to go on and develop their skills will be invited to join the new academy and experience a variety of boating and watersports.

The new academy is a legacy of the £100m investment by ABP to create a new 500m container-handling berth at Southampton. The facility was opened by the 4-times gold medal winner earlier this week, along with the new sailing academy.

As well as dinghy racing, SWAC organisers are planning a host of other experiences for academy members, including sailing to France and linking up with ABP’s Town Quay Marina. The city centre marina will host events for the academy, as part of ABP’s on-going commitment to the project.

Based at Floating Bridge Road in Southampton, SWAC specialises in getting young people active on the water.

Jon Kirby, SWAC Programme Manager, said: “This will make a real difference to the lives of many local children and hopefully produce the next Ben Ainslie.

“We used to work with inner city children but the funding dried up, so we are delighted that, thanks to ABP’s generosity, we can start to get local youngsters active on the water near their homes again.

“It is a fantastic experience for them. It’s a taste of the freedom sailing offers and a chance to learn teamwork, communication skills and self-reliance.”

ABP Director, Southampton, Nick Ridehalgh said: “The port is not just a key driver of the economy in the city and the region but a key player in the community as well. We have invested heavily in the future of our business here and we want to invest in our community as well.

“Southampton Water is famed worldwide as a leisure marine destination. For many local youngsters it is a case of so near but just out of reach. This new academy will allow Southampton children to enjoy sailing on Southampton Water and we are proud to be able to make that happen.”

For more information about Southampton Water Activities Centre give them a call on 02380 915753 or visit /leisure-centre/southampton-water-activities-centre/