Sailing Club Vision to Become a Reality

Following four years planning by a dedicated team, Newbiggin by the Sea Sailing Club has been awarded a major grant to develop its facilities. The award has been made by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, which supports voluntary and community groups in Britain's former and existing coalfields communities,

The £400,000 grant will allow the Clubhouse, a prominent building in the centre of the town, to be improved and as a result enable the club to reach out to budding young sailors in the community, youth clubs and local schools.

The current Club facilities are located on the upper three floors of the former Mechanics Institute, with limited changing facilities that can only be accessed by steep flights of stairs. In order to increase its reach into the community, particularly to the young and disadvantaged, the club needs to expand its facilities to include separate changing facilities for adults and youngsters, and allow ready access to the handicapped.

The grant from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, along with funding already offered by Wansbeck Sustainable Communities Trust and the Membership will allow the Club to acquire adjacent land, some of which is derelict, and add significant space to the facility. This will include new ground floor changing facilities, a lift with access to all floors and a number of meeting rooms which will also be made available to the local community.

Commenting on the Project, Suzi Patrick of The Coalfields Regeneration Trust said, "Newbiggin by the Sea Sailing Club is one of the first organisations to receive funding through our new Regenerate programme, which is aimed at helping young people in coalfields areas. We are delighted to support such a worthwhile scheme, which will obviously make a big difference to the lives of many young people in the area."

Commenting on the award, David Futers, Club Commodore said "This grant is the final part of a jigsaw. We have been working on this project for four years and it is wonderful to see it finally becoming a reality. We have been severely limited in our ability to engage with young people and introduce them to the sports of sailing, as our existing facilities do not comply with current and upcoming legislation for working with young and handicapped people."

"Newbiggin Sailing Club has a 40 year history of introducing people to sailing in the area and it is wonderful to realise that we are now able to continue our work of making sailing accessible and affordable to all. Britain has a world enviable position in the sports of sailing thanks to people like Ellen MacArthur and Ben Ainsley. Such world class medal winners all started their careers in the sport as youngsters at clubs like ours. Sailing not only provides a challenge and healthy sporting activity but also teaches important life skills such as teamwork and leadership."

Work on the building will take place over the winter months and will be completed by the Spring of next year ready for the 2004 summer sailing season. Planning permission has already been granted and the new building will be completed in a style sympathetic to the prominence of the existing building.