The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) has announced that its Sailability charity has been replaced with the RYA Foundation.

The aim of the RYA Foundation, making boating more accessible to everyone, regardless of circumstance.

While RYA Sailability focused specifically on enabling disabled people to enjoy the sport of sailing, the new Foundation will expand this remit to include the elderly and disadvantaged.

It will work with other charities, individuals and organisations to promote and deliver boating activities to those who may otherwise find it difficult to participate in the sport, whether due to ‘age, infirmity or disability; financial hardship or social circumstances’.
 
The RYA Foundation will build on the work of the RYA Sailability charity, which has got 37,000 people with disabilities into sailing and today continues to support more than 170 sites across the UK.
 
Richard Langford, chairman of the trustees said: ‘The RYA Sailability charity has achieved above and beyond what it was set up to do but the time has come to establish an RYA charitable foundation with a wider remit.

‘As well as continuing to provide opportunities for people with disabilities to get involved in boating, the Foundation will help to break down the barriers that some people feel prevent them from entering the sport.

‘The Foundation’s vision is one of a world where boating is accessible to everyone, regardless of circumstance.’
 
The closing assets of the RYA Sailability Charity will be retained by the Foundation and will continue to be used exclusively to benefit and support local Sailability groups across the UK.

Visit www.rya.org.uk/go/ryafoundation
 
For more information about Sailability visit www.rya.org.uk/sailability