Tackling Inequalties Funds for London Sea Cadets and Surrey Care Trust
The £150,000 of National Lottery Funding was awarded to the RYA for the second time from the Sport England Tackling Inequalities Fund which benefits organisations running projects that engage with lower socio-economic groups, ethnically diverse communities, disabled people and people with long term health conditions.
The Sea Cadets award, made to The Marine Society and Sea Cadets, (MSSC) a registered charity, covers three locations including Newham, each receiving £5000. Sea Cadets works with some 15,000 young people aged 10 to 18, broadening horizons and creating possibilities through a different kind of adventure. It helps children and young people to develop into resilient, confident young people, whatever their background. To learn more about how the charity is transforming lives, please visit www.sea-cadets.org, where you will also find its recent My LegaSea impact study.
The award went towards On The Water, a project run by Sea Cadets to give young people from disadvantaged backgrounds the chance to experience the thrill of water-based adventures. This year, they were able to deliver the programme to more than 1,100 young people across three locations – Birmingham, Liverpool, and London. The charity made the bold decision to start the project without waiting to receive full funding and was successful in securing the shortfall just as the activities were about to launch in the summer.
John Morris, Trust Officer at MSSC, said: “The project allowed nearly 500 young people from Newham to experience the thrill of canoeing, sailing, kayaking and much more - activities that they normally wouldn’t get the chance to experience.”
“It was brilliant,” said one young participant, “I’d never been on a boat or open water before.” Another added: “The whole experience was amazing. I particularly loved sailing!”
The Surrey Care Trust award of £7500 is for Swingbridge, which provides cruises in boats on the River Wey, a wonderful experience for young people, community groups, the elderly and families, particularly those who have limited mobility or other special needs, those from lower socio-economic groups and those with long term health conditions/disabilities.
The award enables Swingbridge to continue operating in 2021, keeping its beneficiaries active and healthy in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, and bringing onboard some of the local people newly struggling as a result of Covid-19.
David Aldous, Swingbridge volunteer and Chair of the Steering Committee said: “Being near lakes, rivers and the sea is often rated highest by people in terms of having a positive impact on their mental health. Our Swingbridge Community Boats provide relaxing trips for people with limited mobility who are least likely to have been able to connect with nature during the lockdowns, as well as activities and skills training to help vulnerable people to feel purposeful and self-confident. This funding will help us to continue to provide these benefits and more for local communities.”
Rob Clark, RYA Director of Sport Development, added: “Through the TIF programme we’ve so far been able to grant over £280,000 to 38 individual projects across England. All initiatives have highlighted the breadth of engagement that RYA venues have within their communities and the ability for boating activity to be truly inclusive.
“They also give a fantastic opportunity for us to gain insight into the motivations to be active and barriers we need to work to overcome – in many cases this is as simple as explaining the transport links to get a group to a venue. We are hopeful that Sport England will announce an additional phase of TIF funding in the autumn and look forward to being able to work with even more projects to support positive outcomes.”
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