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11:44 Monday 10 Aug 2015 Big challenge set for Charity Day – UKSA on a mission to raise £10,000 in a day

UKSA Farr 65 – photo Rick Tomlinson/CWL

With a target to raise £10,000 in a day, UKSA – the official charity of Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week – is already in full swing.

UKSA, which offers transformational opportunities to young people through sailing and watersports, has set an overall target for the week to raise a total of £100,000.

Following the success of last year’s fundraising activities that raised enough money to give every Year Six student on the Island (1,123 in total) a sailing experience, UKSA hope to raise enough to carry out a similar exercise.

The idea this year is to raise enough money to give 100 youngsters an opportunity to participate in one of UKSA’s life-changing youth development programmes.

Simon Davies, UKSA Director of Youth Development explained: “This year we are working with young people who are NEETs (Not in Education Employment or Training) young offenders, risk of offending, or disengaged from school. Our NEET programme is currently at 62 per cent success rate, and 89 per cent of our young offenders have not re-offended, so we are really proud of that and it shows the programmes we do, really work.”

Although it is a bit of an overcast day here in Cowes, there is still plenty of fundraising interest particularly with the Try Sailing experience, which gives visitors a chance to get out on the water for a £5 donation. According to Davies, it is so popular that he advises heading to the UKSA stand early to book a place.

A team of fundraisers is already out-and-about with collection buckets and located at strategic points around Cowes, along the High Street, The Parade, and at Northwood House at lunchtime.

Other fundraising activities running throughout today and the rest of the week at the UKSA stand in Cowes Yacht Haven include, Gutter Boat Racing and the Volvo RYA Sail for Gold simulator. The simulator offers the chance for visitors to race for the fastest time, and win great prizes.

Head to the stand also, to purchase UKSA wristbands, which help to raise awareness of the charity, and UKSA waterbottles and, keep an eye out for the Boss up a Mast challenge.

On the racecourse Olympic medallist Sarah Ayton – UKSA ambassador – is racing with a group young ambassadors today on a Farr 65. Commenting on her support of UKSA charity, Ayton said: “I am really passionate about helping children who wouldn't normally have the chance, to go sailing, and to give them the confidence in self-belief, and to empower them. It is really important to me, hence the reason I am here helping to raise that money.

“I am looking forward to the sailing today. We’ll be in a racing environment and it will be so alien to some of the ambassadors on board. Racing together will be a new experience for all of us. Also we have media, sponsors and corporate guests on board so it is going to be a challenging one for everyone. Hopefully we’ll all come off the water having had a good race.”