Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy

Charles Russell LLP are proud to be sponsors of the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, 2012 sailing venue, and leading female sailor Helena Lucas.

The Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, 2012 Sailing Venue

The Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA), official host sailing venue for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is the first UK 2012 venue to be completed on time and on budget; it is now ready for the racing events with an active sustainable legacy programme. WPNSA was developed to take advantage of what are recognised as some of the best small boat sailing waters on the planet. The venue has already provided training facilities for the 2008 Games medal winning heroes, helping an overall medal haul of 4 golds, 1 silver and 1 bronze. The combination of clean winds, sheltered waters and weak tides in the area is unique and this new World Class facility set in the centre of the Jurassic Coast, the only Natural World Heritage Site on the UK mainland, provides an unrivalled venue for training / sailing competitions and is committed to protecting the local environment, winning the 2008 Sport Industry Award for 'Environmental Concern in Sport'.

The Academy has been developed through a very strong partnership, bringing together the South West Regional Development Agency, Sport England Lottery Fund and the local authorities in the area, working together to bring a strong vision into an exciting reality.

WPNSA provides training for all levels of ability from beginners through to the top sailors, it works with the community, particularly schools and young people, to enable people to participate in the sport of sailing, and, of course, it runs events. These events range from regional and national championships, through to European and World Championships and the International Sailing Federation World Youth Championships in 2006.

The venue exceeds the standards required by the Disability Discrimination Act and has also been described by English Nature as 'an example of best practice' in relation to its outstanding environmental credentials.

Edward Leask has now officially taken the helm of the globally recognised yachting venue following a lifetime's involvement with the marine sporting world; representing GBR on the water and launching yachting into the sports marketing industry. Edward will be joined by Jeremy Pope OBE as Vice Chairman at WPNSA. Jeremy is very active in the South West as the past Deputy Chairman of the South West of England Regional Development Agency. Both Edward and Jeremy have been involved with the development of the Academy since its inception during 2000 through to the present day. John Tweed has recently been appointed Chief Executive of the WPNSA. In addition to these appointments, WPNSA is celebrating 3 new members to the Board of Directors for 2009. Elected by the WPNSA Board for their commitment to the sport of sailing, Rod Carr OBE, John Derbyshire and triple gold sailing medalist, Ben Ainslie OBE, have all accepted the offer to be Directors of the venue.

Legacy Programme

Charles Russell's sponsorship of the Academy provides vital support for up-and-coming sailors and also contributes to community sailing initiatives.

Various reduced-rate community programmes, aimed at involving as many people as possible in sailing and other watersports such as windsurfing and canoeing, are run out of the Academy. Access and affordability are often barriers to take-up but Charles Russell's sponsorship has helped to drive down the cost of courses for local children, encouraging more youngsters to take up the sport and live an active and healthy life.

The Academy and Charles Russell, together with SailLaser, the world class sailing school based at WPNSA, began the 'Sail for £5 Chesil Trust Progamme' in 2007 which proved to be a phenomenal success. So far, well over 3,000 local children and young people, including those with disabilities, have been able to take advantage of this scheme. This sustainable legacy programme has the aim of inspiring 1,000 local children to try water sports during 2009.

Weymouth College and the Academy, supported by Charles Russell's funding, are proud to be part of a nationwide initiative to tackle the number of youngsters not in employment and not in education. The E2E course, run out of the Academy, is ideal for young people with an interest in water sports, the outdoors or just sport in general, equipping them with the basic certificates they need to start a career in the marine industry. Plenty of time is set aside to develop personal and social skills and to work on numeracy and literacy levels, combined with crucial work placements with local businesses tailored to give a range of experience in this diverse industry.

John Tweed, Chief Executive of WPNSA comments, "It is fantastic that, through the support of our sponsors, we are able to provide the facilities for these young people to help them with their personal development."

Sponsorship of Paralympic Sailor, Helena Lucas

In addition to being sponsors of the Academy, Charles Russell LLP are the proud sponsors of Helena Lucas. This provided Helena with the funds to purchase a new boat in her run up to the 2008 Paralympics, assisting with her competitive performance as part of the elite Team GBR. Helena was the only female selected to race in the 2.4 Metre fleet at Beijing where she achieved a top ten place.