About us
The RSYCT is a small, registered charity (1164006), run by a board of 7 trustees and supported by lots of lovely volunteers. We have no staff, so our running costs are minimal.
We are the charity of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club and operate from their clubhouse at Gins on the River Beaulieu, where we store all our safety equipment, wetsuits, dinghies, paddleboards and kayaks.
With a strong focus on partnership, we work closely with young carer organisations throughout Hampshire; Woodmill Outdoor Activities Centre in Southampton and Spinnker Sailing Club in Ringwood.
History
The Royal Southampton Yacht Club Trust (RSYCT) charity was established in 2015 and tfocuses on improving the quality of life of disadvantaged young people, principally young carers in Hampshire.
Each year we fund over 250 young carers to enjoy some important ‘me time’, supporting their mental health and wellbeing, learning new skills, building resilience, taking certificates and having fun.
Our main programme of activities take place in the school holidays from May to September and includes water sports taster days; dinghy sailing, paddleboarding, kayaking and wind surfing sessions.
We also organise an informal regatta and family BBQ day in September and an annual prize giving in November, with trophies and certificates presented by our patron, HM Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire.
Charity and partnership working
The charity was established in 2015 with a wide-ranging remit:
To promote the advancement of amateur sport, in particular provision of facilities, equipment and the rewarding of grants to enable and encourage participation in sailing and associated activities for the benefit of the public in the south of England.
Thanks to the commitment of early trustees, particularly Graham Tracy and past commodore Brian Hind, good working relationships were quickly established with a few young carer organisations.
In recent years our partnerships have developed so we now work with 6 young carer organisations in Hampshire and several water sports and sailing centres, which provide instructor-led courses and access to nationally recognised certificates.
In August 2021 HM Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, Nigel Atkinson became our patron. He takes an active interest in our activities, often attending our taster days at Gins, trustee meetings and fund raisers.