Vacancy: to manage the Blake Fund for Young Sailors

Published 11:46 on 15 Feb 2021

The Blake Fund for Young Sailors was established by the Club in 2001 following the tragic death of Sir Peter Blake, the celebrated New Zealand yachtsman whose home had been in Emsworth for more than 30 years.

In memory of Peter, who was passionate about sailing and the development of young sailors, the Fund raises money to assist our junior sailors in their training and participation in local, national and international competitions. To date, the Fund has awarded over £21,000 to more than 100 juniors.

The Blake Fund for Young Sailors is governed by Pippa (Lady Blake) as Chair of the Trustees and the Club's Flag Officers.

The Mission Statement:

The Blake Fund inspires uptake, development and lifelong bonding with sailing; introducing all children to the water and nurturing the few to greater things.

The Purpose:

1. To inspire a lifelong passion for sailing
2. To encourage young children to sail
3. To enable competitiveness in sailing.

In addition to various fundraising activities throughout the year, there is a 50:50 Lottery with a monthly draw to raise money for the fund. All ESC members are encouraged to join the lottery and support our junior sailors. The Lottery currently has 100 ticket holders and has raised nearly £3,000 for the Fund to date.

After three years doing a marvellous job managing the Fund, Tom Hulton has decided to hand over the reins to someone who can take the Fund to the next level. This will require a close understanding of sailing activities in the Club, especially junior sailing, as well as liaison with the various Club committees. The role involves no more than 1 hour per week. It requires organising the monthly Lottery draw, managing the junior awards, arranging meetings of the Club's Blake Fund Committee, Fund finances and strategic planning, with other members of the committee.

Tom says "I am very keen to see the Blake Fund progress and become a real source of pride for the Club. The Fund is a great concept and deserves success and further recognition of its potential from the Club. I have really enjoyed my time with the Blake Fund and working closely with Pippa and the Trustees. I feel that the time is right to have a younger person who is more actively involved with the junior sailors, the Club and its sailing activities".

If you are interested in this role or would like to discuss it in more detail, please contact with our Commodore, Jane Mellor, on commodore@emsworthsc.org.uk by Friday 26 February 2021.