Sponsor cash helps Littlehampton sail club stay afloat

The Arun Youth Aqua Centre (AYAC), in Hendon Avenue, has been battling against potential closure after West Sussex County Council slashed the group’s £1,150 funding grant by £600 this year, with a complete withdrawal of funds set for next year.

Now, the directors of the online retail company, Rinkit Ltd, based at the Lineside Industrial Estate, Wick, have agreed to sponsor the AYAC to meet the funding shortfall.

Rinkit’s directors Richard Goss and Rob Lowe decided to back the club after watching a recent training session there.

Richard said: “I am delighted to be sponsoring the AYAC. We value the huge contribution that the centre makes to young people in the area and we look forward to becoming involved in its busy schedule of water sports events over the next year.”

The company has agreed to plough approximately £1,200 of funding per year into the centre, describing its commitment as a “long-term investment”.

Richard added: “We will try to support the club for as long as it takes.

“I know how much fun sailing is but a lot of people in this area won’t get the opportunity to discover it, if the AYAC is forced to close. I also like the way the club is run and how it helps to give youngsters something to do.”

Last month, the centre raised more than £700 during a sponsored sailathon.

Roger Elliman, a member of the AYAC management committee, said that the training centre, with the help of Bognor Regis and Littlehampton MP Nick Gibb, had managed to retain a proportion of its funding.

He described Rinkit’s support as both “promising” and “exciting”, adding: “The AYAC is a successful and vibrant community sailing and canoeing centre, with young members from all over West Sussex. The great thing about it is that it makes sailing and canoeing accessible for everyone.

“The sponsorship from Rinkit Ltd and the supreme efforts of the recent AYAC sailathon have more than made up for the centre’s shortfall for next year.”

The sailing season has now finished for the club. However, members are already planning their next set of fund-raising events, to help keep the centre afloat.

The club is still keen to speak to more businesses about potential sponsorship deals. For details, visit the website www.ayac.co.uk