Hilary Lister accepts donation to be used to create annual
‘Spirit of Inventure’ award
Photo opportunity with UKSA Ambassador and record breaking quadriplegic sailor Hilary Lister accepting a cheque behalf of UKSA from Adrian Wakelin of The Inventure Trust at 1.30pm on Friday 5 January 2007 at UKSA Deck Games, stand N192.
UKSA has supported disabled sailing for many years, both by working in partnership with a number of charitable organisations including RYA Sailability, The Neighbourly Charitable Trust, The Calvert Trust, Gwennili Trust and by supporting individuals like Hilary. In recognition of the work the Academy does The Inventure Trust has chosen to make a donation of £6,000 to UKSA to create a fund that will be managed and grown by the Academy in order to keep the ‘Spirit of Inventure’ alive for the benefit of disabled sailors and wheelchair users for years to come.
UKSA is actively seeking donations to grow the fund so that an annual award, ‘The Spirit of Inventure Award’, can be made to a group or individual to assist in the cost of training, the purchase of new equipment or the installation or improvement of facilities.
The Inventure Trust has given a great deal of opportunity to wheelchair users and those with disability over the years and has worked with UKSA, making use of the Academy’s facilities and operational expertise.
Adrian Wakelin of The Inventure Trust comments, “The Inventure Trust was founded in order to give people with severe disabilities, particularly wheelchair users, the opportunity to enjoy coastal and offshore sailing. We are delighted that UKSA are now taking over the responsibility of achieving our objectives and we hope that the ‘Spirit of Inventure Award’ will keep alive the dream that, one day, a new wheelchair accessible sailing yacht will be built.”
UKSA Ambassador Hilary, accepting the donation on behalf of UKSA, explains why it is so important to support sailing for the disabled, “This generous donation from The Inventure Trust will create more opportunities for disabled people, enabling more people to get out on the water and enjoy the freedom the sea has to offer. Sailing has given me something I never thought I would
have, it has brought challenge, satisfaction, enjoyment and a huge sense of achievement. Both the Inventure Trust and UKSA played a part in helping me achieve my ambition of sailing solo across the English Channel and I would encourage people to support this new fund and help keep the spirit of Inventure alive.”
