Bray Sailing Club members in County Wicklow were delighted to welcome members of Lakers (a sport and recreation club for children and adults with an intellectual disability) to the club again this week to build further on the partnership which started earlier this summer. This was the second group of Lakers members to attend a “Try Sailing” course put together by Bray Sailing Club’s instructor team in 2017.
Weather conditions were extremely favourable for the course, which took place over three afternoons, and followed the same structure as before - a land-based familiarisation session on the first day, with a chance to take to the water on the following two afternoons (both inside and outside the harbour). The course concluded with a BBQ in Bray SC’s clubhouse and the presentation of Irish Sailing “Taste of Sailing” certificates to all participants by Bray SC’s Senior Instructor, Jack Hannon.
Speaking after the event, Lakers’ Services Manager, Anthony Finnegan said “We were delighted to be able to give a second group of Lakers members the opportunity to try out a new sport this week and our members are very grateful to the enthusiastic instructors and assistants, in Bray SC for giving up their time. They are just amazing and caring young people with plenty of experience to share. We hope that some of our members might have the opportunity to participate in sailing on a regular basis in the future and we look forward to a continuing relationship between Lakers and Bray SC.”
Bray SC’s Senior Instructor, Jack Hannon, commented: “I’m grateful to our team of thirteen instructors and assistants who gave up their time so willingly yet again to make this partnership a success. We now look forward to building on the success of these introductory courses and developing a more permanent connection with Lakers, and we’d like to develop a mentoring partnership between Lakers members and Bray SC members.”
