The Timeline
1. The first thing to consider is what sort of company would Whitlingham want to be if they were offering this type of course. I have already summarised the benefits and negatives of the three different types of company in a previous post. Charities will be easier to earn grants for, are more well known which is beneficial for fundraising and are more tax exempt. On the other hand CICs are more rewarding for there shareholders who can benefit financially, also the rules and regulations around CICs are less restrictive than charities. Whitlingham is currently managed by the limited company of Educator Solutions, however I believe it would be better to branch off from this for the disabled sailing. I think setting up as a charity would be the best option as it allows for better fundraising and grants which is important as this project has quite a high financial cost. It takes on average 30 days for a charity application to be processed, thats if all the correct information is supplied first time.
2. The next thing to consider is whether or not to become a sailibility centre. I believe becoming an official RYA sailibility club would be the best option as Whitlingham has never offered this before the help and guidance they offer would be useful. However in the future when the centre has had some experience with disabled sailing they could branch off and do it independantly. The RYA released a document containing some key steps to becoming a sailibility centre. The first of all is making the commitment, with a centre leader to spearhead the project being created. The club also needs to release the "sport for all" policy, and get the membership of the club to agree to this. The RYA says they think this is one of the hardest tasks.The next thing is to contact the RYA sailibility, and they recomend that you visit a disabled sailing centre to see how it runs. The next step is to become a foundation site, and people from Sailibility will come and conduct a foundation assessment which will help you to make adjustments and improvements to the centre. The RYA also suggest that the centre carries out some disability awareness training and volunteer management training. The next thing to consider is what sort of disabilities the centre can cater for. Some centres can handle people of all disabilities and some centres can only do some disabilties. Each disabled person has different indiviudal requirements. Deciding when the sessions can run is the next thing to think about. The RYA says it is important to try and include these sessions in the general times of the organisation so there isnt a gap between disable bodies sailing and able bodied sailing. Where to sail is also very important but in the case of Whitlingham that is already set up. The types of boat is also important and I have already looked at special disability boats. The RYA says that sometimes boats don't even need to be modified for disabled sailing. Another option is to ask local clubs to borrow boats to help get started however i'm not sure that is the appropriate option for Whitlingham. The finiancial side is also important to consider, how much it will cost the centre and if and if so how much we charge the students. I think it depends on what type of company it sets up as will determine if there is a charge. Marketing also needs to be considered as the next step and trying to get the disabled people to come and try sailing. The RYA says the best way to do that is contact local disability centres. It is also essential to give this organisation a name- i dont know whether this would fall under Whitlingham or if it would be seperate. The final step is to set a review date to check progress and look at the future.
3. After all these steps have been followed, the sailibility centre should be all set up and running. In the future you could look at expansion and the possbilitiy of going independently which has the benefits of being able to control it more yourself.
Monday, 29 August 2016
Sunday, 28 August 2016
Benefits of Sailability- 21/08/2016
What are the benefits of sailability?
The benefits of sailabilty can be broken down into the benefits for the people that do the sailing and for the centre that offers the sailing. Sailing can offer different oppurtunities to people suffering with a disability. The RYA says on their website " Boating is one of the very few sports in which able-bodied sailors and disabled sailors can participate on equal terms. There are many opportunities for people with a disability to get afloat on all types of boats".(4) Sport and physical activities can improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. There are big physological barrriers between people with disability, due to social stereotypes of sports people. Sailing was introduced in the 2000 paralympics which has boosted the profile of the sport, especially for young people with disabilities. "It is open to athletes with any type of physical impairment and the classification system is based on four factors: stability, hand function, mobility and vision. Athletes compete in three events, which are non-gender specified: single-person keelboats, three-person keelboats and two-person keelboats."(3)
Offering sailing oppurtunities for people with disabilities also can be benefitial to sailing centres and this is what I am more focused on for my study. Adding sailiability to your club can lead to increased participation and membership at the club, therefore leading to more revenue and ultimately opening new doors. " As part of the process of becoming a Sailability site, applicant organisations tick boxes for the types of disabilities they can accommodate, which is held on the RYA database and used to help point interested people in the direction of groups they could participate at, including through the RYA Where’s My Nearest search engine."(2).
The benefits of sailabilty can be broken down into the benefits for the people that do the sailing and for the centre that offers the sailing. Sailing can offer different oppurtunities to people suffering with a disability. The RYA says on their website " Boating is one of the very few sports in which able-bodied sailors and disabled sailors can participate on equal terms. There are many opportunities for people with a disability to get afloat on all types of boats".(4) Sport and physical activities can improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. There are big physological barrriers between people with disability, due to social stereotypes of sports people. Sailing was introduced in the 2000 paralympics which has boosted the profile of the sport, especially for young people with disabilities. "It is open to athletes with any type of physical impairment and the classification system is based on four factors: stability, hand function, mobility and vision. Athletes compete in three events, which are non-gender specified: single-person keelboats, three-person keelboats and two-person keelboats."(3)
Offering sailing oppurtunities for people with disabilities also can be benefitial to sailing centres and this is what I am more focused on for my study. Adding sailiability to your club can lead to increased participation and membership at the club, therefore leading to more revenue and ultimately opening new doors. " As part of the process of becoming a Sailability site, applicant organisations tick boxes for the types of disabilities they can accommodate, which is held on the RYA database and used to help point interested people in the direction of groups they could participate at, including through the RYA Where’s My Nearest search engine."(2).
What is sailability?
What is Sailability?
To offer sailing oppurtinities for people with disabilities, organisations can organise this and fund it independantly or they can use the RYA official sailability scheme. There are advantages and disadvantages to using the RYA scheme and to doing it independantly. The RYA define sailability as "a program available at some sailing clubs that offers an additional level of support, an established network of volunteers, and equipment to assist people of all-abilities to get into sailing".
According to the RYA website, over 53,000 young people and adults with disabilities are introduced to sailing per year.
Using the RYA sailability scheme has the benefit of support and assistance from experts from the RYA. Furthermore large grant to aid in the funding can be obtained, which is very important as the equipment needed to provide disabled sailing oppurtunities is very expensive. However the guidelines that the RYA set can be restricting and this can lead to organisations indepenently organising and funding the sailing.
As I mentioned before funding is very important as offering disabled sailing is very expensive. The actual boats that the people will need have to be specially designed for use with disabled people. This means they are more stable to prevent any chance of the people falling into the water. Furthemore the steering mechanism needs to be changed to allow for people with possibly not very much movement. Furthermore to help these people into the boats a special lifting crane is needed which can also be pricey.
However funding can be easily obtained either through the RYA or independently.
To offer sailing oppurtinities for people with disabilities, organisations can organise this and fund it independantly or they can use the RYA official sailability scheme. There are advantages and disadvantages to using the RYA scheme and to doing it independantly. The RYA define sailability as "a program available at some sailing clubs that offers an additional level of support, an established network of volunteers, and equipment to assist people of all-abilities to get into sailing".
According to the RYA website, over 53,000 young people and adults with disabilities are introduced to sailing per year.
Using the RYA sailability scheme has the benefit of support and assistance from experts from the RYA. Furthermore large grant to aid in the funding can be obtained, which is very important as the equipment needed to provide disabled sailing oppurtunities is very expensive. However the guidelines that the RYA set can be restricting and this can lead to organisations indepenently organising and funding the sailing.
As I mentioned before funding is very important as offering disabled sailing is very expensive. The actual boats that the people will need have to be specially designed for use with disabled people. This means they are more stable to prevent any chance of the people falling into the water. Furthemore the steering mechanism needs to be changed to allow for people with possibly not very much movement. Furthermore to help these people into the boats a special lifting crane is needed which can also be pricey.
However funding can be easily obtained either through the RYA or independently.
Possible Negatives of the project-27/08/2016
The possible negatives to the company for the project.
Whitlingham offer many different acitvities such as kayaking, mountain biking, many types of sailing, wall climbing, team challenge etc. This shows that they are a well developed organistion and have considered many different types of activity. This is why it could possibly be for a good reason that they don't offer oppurtunities for people with disabilities to get into sailing. They offer the equivlent in canoeing/kayaking.
The cost of offering disabled sailing is very high and therefore this investment must be worth it. The key to this is to attract a lot of interest in the local area to then repay this investment. There are aproxiamtely 11 special schools in Norfolk and this is what Whitlingham would want to maily attract.
The only real negative of offering this is the possbility of a big investment without being able to fill the courses.
Whitlingham offer many different acitvities such as kayaking, mountain biking, many types of sailing, wall climbing, team challenge etc. This shows that they are a well developed organistion and have considered many different types of activity. This is why it could possibly be for a good reason that they don't offer oppurtunities for people with disabilities to get into sailing. They offer the equivlent in canoeing/kayaking.
The cost of offering disabled sailing is very high and therefore this investment must be worth it. The key to this is to attract a lot of interest in the local area to then repay this investment. There are aproxiamtely 11 special schools in Norfolk and this is what Whitlingham would want to maily attract.
The only real negative of offering this is the possbility of a big investment without being able to fill the courses.
Bibliography
1. http://www.sportanddev.org/en/learnmore/sport_and_disability2/sport_and_adapted_physical_activity__apa_/the_role_of_sport_and_adapted_physical_activity_for_people_with_disabilities_/
The role of sport for people with disabilities- benefits of sailability for the people sailing.
2.
http://www.rya.org.uk/regions/westmidlands/news/newsletters/jan16/Pages/how-becoming-sailability-can-boost-your-club.aspx
How being a sailability site can boost your club- benefits of sailiability for the centre.
3.
https://www.paralympic.org/sailing
Paralympic sailing
4.
http://www.rya.org.uk/get-afloat/Pages/sailability.aspx
Disabled sailing on the RYA website.
5.
http://sailboatproject.org/about-sail-boat-project/
sail boat project (CIC)
6.
http://schoolswebdirectory.co.uk/leasearch.php?lea=Norfolk&where=5&submit=Submit
7.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk
8.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitlingham
9.
http://www.visitnorfolk.co.uk/explore/Broads-history-of-the-Broads.aspx
10.
Norfolk JSNA document
11.
Norfolk and Young People PDF
12.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/the-mental-health-charity-tackling-depression-on-board-a-vintage/
13.
http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/news/local/young-sailors-build-confidence-on-board-1-7554075
14.
https://www.pointsoflight.gov.uk/life-skills-through-sailing/
The role of sport for people with disabilities- benefits of sailability for the people sailing.
2.
http://www.rya.org.uk/regions/westmidlands/news/newsletters/jan16/Pages/how-becoming-sailability-can-boost-your-club.aspx
How being a sailability site can boost your club- benefits of sailiability for the centre.
3.
https://www.paralympic.org/sailing
Paralympic sailing
4.
http://www.rya.org.uk/get-afloat/Pages/sailability.aspx
Disabled sailing on the RYA website.
5.
http://sailboatproject.org/about-sail-boat-project/
sail boat project (CIC)
6.
http://schoolswebdirectory.co.uk/leasearch.php?lea=Norfolk&where=5&submit=Submit
7.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk
8.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitlingham
9.
http://www.visitnorfolk.co.uk/explore/Broads-history-of-the-Broads.aspx
10.
Norfolk JSNA document
11.
Norfolk and Young People PDF
12.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/the-mental-health-charity-tackling-depression-on-board-a-vintage/
13.
http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/news/local/young-sailors-build-confidence-on-board-1-7554075
14.
https://www.pointsoflight.gov.uk/life-skills-through-sailing/
Different types of company
Charity
A charity is an organization set up to provide help and raise money for those in need. Charitable organizations are non profit organization (NPO). Many charities are centered around either religion, education or health. In the case of our study it could fall under both education or health as the centre could be educating the people to sail but also sailing can improve the mental and perhaps physical health of the people doing it. Getting disabled people to move past the stigma surrounding phyisical activity can drastically improve there mental wellbeing. Also this physical activity could help these people with mobility, balance and strength therefore improving their physical health.
An advantages of a charity is that they are recognised for social good so therefore this can aid with fundraising as people are more likely to give to a charity. Furthermore some grant funding is only available to charitable organisations. On the other hand charities may find restrictions on work that can be carried out or funded. Furthermore the trustees of the charity are often unpaid.
A sailing example of this is the Andrew Simpson Sailing foundation, which is a charity set up in the memory of Olympic gold medalist Andrew Simpson. Its set up to support the next generation of British sailors.
Another example is the Jubilee Sailing Trust which is very applicable to my study as it promotes taking both able bodied and disable bodied people to sea. Its main aim is to promote eqaulity and showing that teamwork can help people achieve great things. Its an accredited United Nations disability charity, which works with tall ships.
Sail4cancer is another sailing related charity which provides water based holidays and resbite days for families that have been affected by cancer. It states on there website that they raise their funds through individuals and companies.They also heavily rely on their volunteers to keep the charity going as they decribe them as their "biggest asset".
Community Interest Company
CICs are designed to be easy to set up, with aspects of a company form such as certainty and flexibility but also like to show special feautures to ensure they are working to benefit the community. They are a non- charital social enterprise by defintion. A social enterprise is a business which has primarily social objectives. The surpluses of the business are not supposed to maximise the profit of the shareholders or owners, but should be reinvested in the business or community. Since they have been created over 10,000 have been set up throughout the UK. CICs can be converted into Charities, but will keep benefitting the community until they do so.
An advantage of CICs are that they are easy, quick and inexpensive to set up and that they are specifically designed for social enterprise. A disadvantage in comparison to charities are that the brand of CIC is not as well recognised as charity in the eyes of the public.
An example of this is the Sail Boat Project. "We widen access to the sea, offering sail training onboard, navigation training on land, using these activities to increase confidence and a sense of wellbeing in marginalised coastal communities. We build relationships with individuals and organisations who are, or who work with marginalised people, helping them to get the most out of the ctivities and opportunities we provide".(5)
Another sailing related CIC is Colwyn Bay Watersports which works with Conwy County Borough Council. This CIC is registered to Wales.
The final example of a CIC is the Swansea Association for independant living. This company is not sailing related however it is disability related. It used to be an incorporated company however it recently became a CIC. If we link this back to the explanation of a CIC is that it is primarily for social enterprise. The Swansea Association for independant living aids disabled people in living full independant lives. This is fully to do with people and therefore fits as a social enterprise.
A Limited Company
There are two main types of limited company: A private limited company (ltd) is often a small business such as an independent retailer in a market town. Shares do not trade on the stock exchange. A public limited company (plc) is usually a large, well-known business. There shares are traded on the stock exchange.
An advatantage of a limited company is tax effiency especially on profits and personal income. The directors of the company can keep there their income level between the two bands by splitting it between dividends and salary. On the other hand it is usually more expensive to set up a limited company. Also something that would be key to somewhere like Whitlingham is there is a restriction on what the company name can be for limited companies.
An example of a limited company is Sunsail Worldwide which is a large boat charter company, which operates across the world. Sunsail is a private limited company, which means the shares in this company are not traded on the stock exchange.
Sail dalmatia is another boat charter limited company which operates in Croatia and Montenegro. This is also a private limited company.
Whitlingham
Whitlingham is currently ran by Educator Solutions which is a private limited company that became incorporated in April 2016. Before that it was ran by Nofolk County Council. *** Need to find out the relationship between Norfolk County Council and Educator Solutions***.
So would it be most beneficial for Whitlingham to be a charity, a CIC or a limited company for this project of offering disabled sailing oppurtunities. A charity is suitable for organisations that anticipate a lifetime of asking for money, in the form of donations, grants, bequests or what have you. The CIC is intended for organisations that will have primarily social purposes but will earn a significant proportion of their income from trading. CICs are more likely to be financed through loans than grants. Furthermore the charity brand is very well recognised whereas CIC is hardly known. CICs are more liable to pay tax than charities. On the other hand however CICs are bettter able to reward their directors financially than charities are. Furthemore the rules and regulations regarding charities is much stricter than for CICs, as charities have to undergo a public benefit test. Only one CIC application has ever been refused. CICs can also offer shares however the dividends that can be paid to shareholders is capped such shares are not very appealing. The last thing is that the decision need not be final and that a CIC can convert into a charity and vice versa.
There are several different types of sailibility organizations in the UK at the moment: an association of individuals, a section of a sailing club, a registered charity and an incorporated charity. This confirms that the best way to do set up a sailibility centre would to be a charity possibly slightly seperate to Educator Solutions ltd. To become a CIC or ltd the disabled sailing would have to be organised individually which I think is less beneficial than with the help of the RYA. It could set up as a charity to begin with and get the help of the RYA and then when they have gained more experience, transfer to become a CIC and work independently.
A charity is an organization set up to provide help and raise money for those in need. Charitable organizations are non profit organization (NPO). Many charities are centered around either religion, education or health. In the case of our study it could fall under both education or health as the centre could be educating the people to sail but also sailing can improve the mental and perhaps physical health of the people doing it. Getting disabled people to move past the stigma surrounding phyisical activity can drastically improve there mental wellbeing. Also this physical activity could help these people with mobility, balance and strength therefore improving their physical health.
An advantages of a charity is that they are recognised for social good so therefore this can aid with fundraising as people are more likely to give to a charity. Furthermore some grant funding is only available to charitable organisations. On the other hand charities may find restrictions on work that can be carried out or funded. Furthermore the trustees of the charity are often unpaid.
A sailing example of this is the Andrew Simpson Sailing foundation, which is a charity set up in the memory of Olympic gold medalist Andrew Simpson. Its set up to support the next generation of British sailors.
Another example is the Jubilee Sailing Trust which is very applicable to my study as it promotes taking both able bodied and disable bodied people to sea. Its main aim is to promote eqaulity and showing that teamwork can help people achieve great things. Its an accredited United Nations disability charity, which works with tall ships.
Sail4cancer is another sailing related charity which provides water based holidays and resbite days for families that have been affected by cancer. It states on there website that they raise their funds through individuals and companies.They also heavily rely on their volunteers to keep the charity going as they decribe them as their "biggest asset".
Community Interest Company
CICs are designed to be easy to set up, with aspects of a company form such as certainty and flexibility but also like to show special feautures to ensure they are working to benefit the community. They are a non- charital social enterprise by defintion. A social enterprise is a business which has primarily social objectives. The surpluses of the business are not supposed to maximise the profit of the shareholders or owners, but should be reinvested in the business or community. Since they have been created over 10,000 have been set up throughout the UK. CICs can be converted into Charities, but will keep benefitting the community until they do so.
An advantage of CICs are that they are easy, quick and inexpensive to set up and that they are specifically designed for social enterprise. A disadvantage in comparison to charities are that the brand of CIC is not as well recognised as charity in the eyes of the public.
An example of this is the Sail Boat Project. "We widen access to the sea, offering sail training onboard, navigation training on land, using these activities to increase confidence and a sense of wellbeing in marginalised coastal communities. We build relationships with individuals and organisations who are, or who work with marginalised people, helping them to get the most out of the ctivities and opportunities we provide".(5)
Another sailing related CIC is Colwyn Bay Watersports which works with Conwy County Borough Council. This CIC is registered to Wales.
The final example of a CIC is the Swansea Association for independant living. This company is not sailing related however it is disability related. It used to be an incorporated company however it recently became a CIC. If we link this back to the explanation of a CIC is that it is primarily for social enterprise. The Swansea Association for independant living aids disabled people in living full independant lives. This is fully to do with people and therefore fits as a social enterprise.
A Limited Company
There are two main types of limited company: A private limited company (ltd) is often a small business such as an independent retailer in a market town. Shares do not trade on the stock exchange. A public limited company (plc) is usually a large, well-known business. There shares are traded on the stock exchange.
An advatantage of a limited company is tax effiency especially on profits and personal income. The directors of the company can keep there their income level between the two bands by splitting it between dividends and salary. On the other hand it is usually more expensive to set up a limited company. Also something that would be key to somewhere like Whitlingham is there is a restriction on what the company name can be for limited companies.
An example of a limited company is Sunsail Worldwide which is a large boat charter company, which operates across the world. Sunsail is a private limited company, which means the shares in this company are not traded on the stock exchange.
Sail dalmatia is another boat charter limited company which operates in Croatia and Montenegro. This is also a private limited company.
Whitlingham
Whitlingham is currently ran by Educator Solutions which is a private limited company that became incorporated in April 2016. Before that it was ran by Nofolk County Council. *** Need to find out the relationship between Norfolk County Council and Educator Solutions***.
So would it be most beneficial for Whitlingham to be a charity, a CIC or a limited company for this project of offering disabled sailing oppurtunities. A charity is suitable for organisations that anticipate a lifetime of asking for money, in the form of donations, grants, bequests or what have you. The CIC is intended for organisations that will have primarily social purposes but will earn a significant proportion of their income from trading. CICs are more likely to be financed through loans than grants. Furthermore the charity brand is very well recognised whereas CIC is hardly known. CICs are more liable to pay tax than charities. On the other hand however CICs are bettter able to reward their directors financially than charities are. Furthemore the rules and regulations regarding charities is much stricter than for CICs, as charities have to undergo a public benefit test. Only one CIC application has ever been refused. CICs can also offer shares however the dividends that can be paid to shareholders is capped such shares are not very appealing. The last thing is that the decision need not be final and that a CIC can convert into a charity and vice versa.
There are several different types of sailibility organizations in the UK at the moment: an association of individuals, a section of a sailing club, a registered charity and an incorporated charity. This confirms that the best way to do set up a sailibility centre would to be a charity possibly slightly seperate to Educator Solutions ltd. To become a CIC or ltd the disabled sailing would have to be organised individually which I think is less beneficial than with the help of the RYA. It could set up as a charity to begin with and get the help of the RYA and then when they have gained more experience, transfer to become a CIC and work independently.
Costs
The costs of the project
-The sailability boats that have been specially designed to be more stable and easier to manoveur for people with disabilities. For example RS make a boat called the RS Venture Connect, which starts at £13,153. The large cockpit inside the venture allows for up to 8 people, which would mean 7 and an instructor. This could be a course in itself which means that possibly only one boat is needed for the centre at least to begin with. A joystick or sip/puff system can be used to control the boat. Either sucking or puffing out breath moves the rudder allowing a person with lack of mobility to steer the boat.
-Furthermore the cost of training already employed staff or finding new staff that are already trained. The RYA offer awareness training for instructors to help them work with disabled people. Typically at Whitlingham at the moment one type of course is run by itself and not split into multiple classes. However as one of the main targets for this sailing is special schools, attracting many people may be beneficial. Therefore the course could be split into seperate classes, meaning an entire school could be accounted for. However the cost benefit analysis needs to be taken here, to see if its more beneficial to have many students at a time but have to pay more instructors and invest in multiple boats. The other option is to have fewer students and only have 1 or 2 members of staff and only one boat. This may be something that changes as the project progresses, maybe the centre could start with just one boat and host classes of 6 or 7.
- The cost of a crane to be installed to help people into and out of boats. Whitlingham already has one crane, which would be enough at the start of the project if only was class in one boat was being run. However if the project is successful and multiple classes are being run simultaneously, then the investment of another crane may be nessarsary. An example of this is the Hereford Hoist which is designed specifically to lift wheetchair users in and out of boats. It is easy to use and hand operated. Furthermore it is designed so it can fit almost any kind of pontoon system. I have contacted the seller to enquire about a price.
-The boats that are needed to be stable enough for the disabled people to be safe in them are keelboats. This usually means that they have to be kept on an afloat mooring however this special design of boat has an easy lift keel which allows for ease of launch and storage ashore. The RS Venture Connect is a similar length and width to a wayfarer which Whitlingham have six of. With some possbile adjustments to the layout boat park, a singe one of these RS boats could be fitted in with no real modifications to the site.
-The sailability boats that have been specially designed to be more stable and easier to manoveur for people with disabilities. For example RS make a boat called the RS Venture Connect, which starts at £13,153. The large cockpit inside the venture allows for up to 8 people, which would mean 7 and an instructor. This could be a course in itself which means that possibly only one boat is needed for the centre at least to begin with. A joystick or sip/puff system can be used to control the boat. Either sucking or puffing out breath moves the rudder allowing a person with lack of mobility to steer the boat.
-Furthermore the cost of training already employed staff or finding new staff that are already trained. The RYA offer awareness training for instructors to help them work with disabled people. Typically at Whitlingham at the moment one type of course is run by itself and not split into multiple classes. However as one of the main targets for this sailing is special schools, attracting many people may be beneficial. Therefore the course could be split into seperate classes, meaning an entire school could be accounted for. However the cost benefit analysis needs to be taken here, to see if its more beneficial to have many students at a time but have to pay more instructors and invest in multiple boats. The other option is to have fewer students and only have 1 or 2 members of staff and only one boat. This may be something that changes as the project progresses, maybe the centre could start with just one boat and host classes of 6 or 7.
- The cost of a crane to be installed to help people into and out of boats. Whitlingham already has one crane, which would be enough at the start of the project if only was class in one boat was being run. However if the project is successful and multiple classes are being run simultaneously, then the investment of another crane may be nessarsary. An example of this is the Hereford Hoist which is designed specifically to lift wheetchair users in and out of boats. It is easy to use and hand operated. Furthermore it is designed so it can fit almost any kind of pontoon system. I have contacted the seller to enquire about a price.
-The boats that are needed to be stable enough for the disabled people to be safe in them are keelboats. This usually means that they have to be kept on an afloat mooring however this special design of boat has an easy lift keel which allows for ease of launch and storage ashore. The RS Venture Connect is a similar length and width to a wayfarer which Whitlingham have six of. With some possbile adjustments to the layout boat park, a singe one of these RS boats could be fitted in with no real modifications to the site.
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