Seaview Sailing Trust Report and Thanks
In November 2026 the Education and Charity Committee awarded £1,500 to Seaview Sailing Trust who have submitted the following letter of thanks and attached report.
Dear Shipwrights,
Following the kind grant of £1,500 from the Shipwrights Charitable Fund to the Seaview Sailing Trust (SST) in 2026, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank the Trustees and members of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights for their support for the children’s activities here on the Isle of Wight.
I have attached a copy of the SST 2025 Impact Report (the same one as I sent in February) and will forward the 2026 Impact Report as it is published in due course, likely in Feb/March 2027. The report is here: 2025-Impact-Report
In the 2025 Impact Report you will see (on the “fundraising and giving” page) the SST acknowledges said grant.
Impact of the award
The aim of the Seaview Sailing Trust is to teach all Year 5 children on the Isle of Wight to sail by providing free sailing lessons as a class during term time. We are fully inclusive and work with the schools to enable all children to attend. I am delighted to report that during 2026 the Trust delivered 6,100 three-hour long sailing lessons to 950 IW schoolchildren from 34 different schools and home-schooled children.
That is an increase of 40% in terms of sessions and 30% in the number of children from 2025, when we delivered 4,446 sessions for 723 children from 20 schools.
The need for inclusive, confidence-building outdoor education has never been greater in the Isle of Wight. Despite living surrounded by water, many children on the Isle of Wight have never had the opportunity to learn to sail; remarkably, many have never even visited the beach. The Island contains some of the most deprived areas in the UK and faces significant challenges. With the largest proportion of children with special educational needs (SEN) in the country, the highest percentage of children with education, health and care plans (EHCP) and being place rock bottom in the GCSE tables yet again in 2026, the challenges for children in the island are significant.
We are delighted to report that our programme is continuing have real impact. The feedback we have collated from teachers this year shows very positive outcomes for the children in terms of resilience, self-confidence, communication skills, mental wellbeing and managing emotions. We will cover these further in the 2026 Impact Report.
At an average cost per session of approximately £27, the £1,500 grant funded 55 lessons, which, at an average of 5 lessons per child, funded 11 of those 723 participating children. It is hugely appreciated.
Looking forward
We are very excited as we are planning to include all 37 IW primary schools, as well as home schooled children in 2027 – a total of about 1340 children! Given this expansion for 2027 it would be wonderful if the Shipwrights Charitable Fund would consider continuing to support the SST with a further grant.
And we hope to see the team of Shipwrights at the City Livery Sailing Challenge in Seaview again, this coming weekend.
With kind regards and our heartfelt thanks
Will Robins
Trustee and Treasurer
SST
