UKLA raises an incredible £12,939 for the Andrew Simpson Foundation
by Andrew Simpson Foundation 16 Mar 09:00 UTC
UKLA fundraising © Mark Jardine
In celebration of their 50th Anniversary, the UKLA chose to support the Andrew Simpson Foundation (ASF) and raised a fantastic £12,939, which was presented at the recent RYA Dinghy Show. This will help the ASF transform lives through sailing.
Andrew 'Bart' Simpson was a successful young Laser sailor in the RYA Youth Squad and in 1999 he finished 5th in the Laser Standard World Championships in Melbourne. He went on to compete at the highest level in the Finn, narrowly missing out on Olympic selection, before joining Iain Percy to campaign the Star, where they won Olympic medals at Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
Throughout the 2021 season, the UKLA raised funds for the ASF in memory of Bart and to enable more young people to take on sailing.
Fundraising took place at a variety of events, from the Master Nationals at Pevensey Bay Sailing Club to the European & Worlds Qualifiers at Sunderland Yacht Club.
The highlight of the year was the British Open Championships and UKLA 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner which took place at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.
It was a fantastic evening, complete with a silent auction and Iain Percy OBE entertaining everyone as Guest Speaker.
Ellie Ratusniak, Association Secretary for the UKLA said "all of us here at the UKLA have enjoyed raising funds for the ASF. It is great to know that our support will help young people from all walks of life access sailing, some for the very first time".
The teams from UKLA and the ASF were able to meet up and get a celebratory photo at the recent RYA Dinghy and Watersports Show, see above!
The ASF continue to work with the UKLA in a partnership with the ASC Performance Academy to deliver high quality open training.