Volunteers Complete Boat Restoration Project

 

A team of 24 employees from International’s Yacht Paint business, based at Felling, UK has completed the restoration of a catamaran for the Calvert Trust ( http://www.calvert-trust.org.uk). The boat will give people with disabilities unique access to the joys of sailing.

Restored over a 10-day period this summer, the boat has been specially modified and rigged to enable people with disabilities, including those in wheelchairs, to take part in sailing days and develop their potential through the challenge of outdoor adventure. The boat, which had been headed for retirement, will be a central part of the Calvert Trust’s outreach programme and is expected to welcome groups of up to eight people within the next few weeks. The charity will run half-day trips, thus maximising the opportunity for people to take part in the sailing programme. 

Craig Dallison, who led the team of volunteers, said: “It’s great to be able to make a genuine contribution to the work of the Calvert Trust and the lives of the people it works with. Everyone from the team found the experience truly rewarding.”

Nick Ball of the Calvert Trust added: "We are very grateful to Craig and his colleagues at AkzoNobel for choosing to support the Calvert trust with this restoration programme. The catamaran has been given a new lease of life, it’s amazingly positive that so many people that we work with will now have the opportunity to get out on the water and experience the exhilaration and challenges of sailing. The next step on the journey is to match the shore side facilities at Nichol End Marina, the cat’s new home mooring on Derwentwater with the capabilities of our great ‘new’ Catamaran.”

The catamaran is a boost to the Calvert Trust’s outreach programme, which works to encourage other sports providers to provide better disabled access and it gives the support they need to train their staff.