Thank you Card
Disabled People's Sailing ,Kayak and Angling Fun Day.
Glorious weather on Saturday 27th June saw around fifty people with disabilities from across the county, the valleys and beyond taking part in the kayaking, kayaking fishing and sailing Fun Day arranged in partnership with Powys County Council and Disability Sport Wales. The event, hosted by Llangorse Sailing Club, was generously supported by a Sports Council of Wales Community Chest grant and the club were pleased to see John Morgan, Director of the Federation for Disabled Sport Wales taking a real interest in the event on the day.
The participants had a wide range of disabilities, many in wheelchairs including several who are severely handicapped. What-ever their disability, they were all keen to have a go. They went out onto the lake on kayaks, in RYA Sailability dinghies designed for use by people with handicaps, which were brought from Clywedog for the day by their instructor Keith Rollinson and in one of the club’s Comet Trio training boats, all accompanied by four club power-boats out on the water ready to cover any eventualities.
Twenty kayaks, some supplied by Ocean Kayaks, including a craft they had modified for the occasion, were available on the day. The kayaks were supported by a small army of instructors and helpers from the Anglers Afloat and the Ocean Kayak Fishing Team organisations under the watchful eye of Steve Raynor of the Brecon Canoe Club and Martin Hurst the Llandrindod Sports Centre Manager. The members of the kayak support team had come from across the country, from Gloucester, Nantwich, Oxford, and as far a field as Ilfracombe, Lowestoft, Southampton and Hertfordshire. The kayaks were constantly in demand and by the end of the day had done over a hundred trips out onto the lake.
The wind failed to materialise into more than a fitful breeze, but undeterred many took the opportunity of getting a feel to being in a sailing dinghy, either in one of the RYA Sailability boats or in one of the Llangorse Club’s Comet Trio training dinghies, manned by experienced club sailors.
The smiling faces of the handicapped people who took the opportunity to get out onto the lake said it all. And from the buzz around the club site and the enthusiastic remarks by both those with disabilities, parents and others who supported them, there is no doubt that the day was a huge success.
And those sentiments were echoed by Cllr Mrs Gillian Thomas, Chair of the Brecknockshire Community Chest committee, who was very impressed by what she saw. Local dignitaries, Lord Richard Livsey, local MP Roger Williams and Peter Gunn, a member of the local sports council, who is very keen to do what he can to support sport for the disabled, were also very impressed by the friendly atmosphere and what was being done to encourage people with disabilities to take to the water and what Llangorse Sailing Club has achieved over the years in developing its site and activities and for making its facilities available for such events.