ROYAL APPOINTMENT AS SSSC COLLECTS TOP AWARD
The Commodore collected the award from HRH The Earl of Wessex yesterday.
The winners plaque will be mounted in the clubhouse and a few more pictures can be seen HERE.
The awards were presented at the conclusion of the AGM of the Sport and Recreation Alliance, who are the Governing Body of all Governing bodies !
There were representatives from every sport including Football, Rugby, Golf, Dancing, Canoeing, Archery etc etc even including Chess and Octopush (what is that ?!)
Staunton Harold Sailing Club were also winners of one of the categories, Green Thinking, and it is the first time that the RYA have been successful in these awards !
Following our Commodore onto the stage was Sir Bobby Charlton who was awarded the Arthur Bell Trophy for a lifetime of work with Sport in the Community and especially the Torch Trophy Trust. His trophy was slightly larger and heavier and will be delivered to him by lorry !
He told us after that he will have to keep it in the Manchester United Trophy Room - it does have plenty of space at the moment !
A great event...and a privilege for SSSC to be winners of this award and with it, a glowing tribute to the efforts of all the members over many many years !
South Staffordshire Sailing Club has a Royal appointment at St James' Palace on Thursday 19 July after being named Britain's top community sports club by the Sport and Recreation Alliance.
Representatives from the Gailey Reservoir-based club will travel to London to collect their prestigious Community Sport and Recreation Premier Award, sponsored by the RSA, from HRH The Earl of Wessex.
South Staffs SC, which in 2011 was named Britain's top sailing club by the sport's national governing body, the RYA, has been recognised for the work it does in encouraging and promoting amateur dinghy sailing by providing a safe sailing environment for adults and juniors of all abilities.
The club has some 400 members, from six to 95, and its annual Try Sailing Open Day attracts nearly 100 newcomers every year. Its development of junior members, under-privileged and disabled children in the Wolverhampton and Midlands area is unrivalled and it scored highly across all areas of volunteer management, school links, innovative projects and green thinking.
Mark Nichols, South Staffs SC club commodore, said: "South Staffs SC is very inclusive club that is run by our members for our members. We continually strive to better ourselves and over the past year we have continued to develop the programme of activities we offer to our members and the local community.
"We invest in our members by providing a range of courses, some of which are free or subsidised, with the investment being made in the interests of the club's long-term sustainability. The more active and involved someone feels, the more likely they are to develop a strong affinity with the club and the other members and stay involved.
We are delighted to have been recognised for this work by the Sport and Recreation Alliance."
Gareth Brookes, RYA Midlands Regional Development Officer, said: "South Staffs SC is a very friendly, accommodating and successful sailing club in terms of membership numbers, active sailors and junior squad sailors. But they never rest of their laurels. A recent example of this was the club rescheduling an already packed sailing programme to manage to accommodate additional junior club and school sessions and informal coaching sessions for less active members, as well as recruiting more volunteers to run these activities."
The BBC's Eleanor Oldroyd, who chaired the judging panel, said: "With London 2012 around the corner it's a fitting time for grassroots clubs, schemes and projects to be recognised for the tremendous work they carry out in local communities up and down the country. The Olympics and Paralympics are all about celebrating the diversity of sport and this mirrors what the essence of the Community Sport and Recreation Awards is all about."
South Staffs SC is a recognised RYA Training Centre, meaning it conforms to the highest standards of quality and safety in the world. It is also an official RYA OnBoard club, part of the national grassroots programme providing low cost sailing and windsurfing opportunities for local school and youth groups to learn to sail, as well as a Volvo RYA Champion Club, meaning it has been recognised for its commitment to youth racing and coaching.
South Staffs SC are enthusiastic participants in the RYA's nationwide London 2012 initiative, Sail for Gold, celebrating Britain's unmatched Olympic sailing heritage and inspiring more people to get out on the water more regularly.
To find out how you can get involved in sailing at Britain's top sports club this Olympic year visit www.southstaffssailingclub.co.uk
RYA Press Office - 25th July 2012
