YEAR 6 students from Dilton Marsh Primary School enjoyed a day’s sailing at Eden Vale Lake recently which marked 35 years of the local sailing club providing end of term sessions for primary school leavers.
West Wilts Youth Sailing Club (WWYSB) has been providing exciting activities for year 6 children since 1987. Senior instructor Nick Cross has been working with the sailing club for 42 years, and launched the scheme 35 years ago.
Nick explained, “My son attended the primary school many years ago and I suggested that his class may like to come down to the lake towards the end of term to learn some basics about sailing and actually get on the water and try their hand at something new! It’s snowballed since then and we’ve been doing it for 35 years now.
“My favourite part of this whole thing is to see the children grow in stature. They really seem to benefit from learning something new and their enthusiasm is infectious. We get a big buzz out of seeing them develop and expand their horizons.
“We hope that some of the children may pick up sailing as a hobby and join our club – they are always most welcome!”
Marshall, one of the 14 pupils from Dilton Marsh Primary School who were out on the water said, “We haven’t got wet once yet; we’re definitely the best team! I’ve always liked the water, so it was good to try something a bit different to what I’m used to. I want to do this more now.”
Another pupil, Emily, added, “We’ve learned how to steer the boat and how to deal with capsizing which was a bit scary. We also learned how to work as a team which was a bit difficult as first, but we are getting the hang of it now.”
The connection between Dilton Marsh Primary School and WWYSB was strengthened back in 2014 when the pupils raised £500 to pay for a new safety boat following an arson attack on the sailing club that had caused a considerable amount of damage to the club’s equipment.
Pictured (Top): Students and staff from Dilton Marsh Primary School enjoying a morning out on the lake.
Pictured (Middle): Instructors Oli and Lily with senior instructor Nick Cross on the safety boat provided by the school.
Pictured (Bottom): Marshall and Emily from Dilton Marsh Primary School.
