Accountants lend a hand at new sailing centre

A team of volunteers from our Truro office enjoyed spending a day helping out at the Children’s Sailing Trust’s new accessible watersports centre at Trevassack Lake on the Lizard Peninsula.

The accountants swapped their calculators for shovels as they spread tonnes of gravel during final preparations for the site’s recent opening.

Charles Richardson, front, of the Children’s Sailing Trust, with volunteers, from left, Duncan Fancourt, Beth Pearson, Isabella Avis, Georgina Stephens, Mark Hastings, Tegan Arthur, Jamie Brassett, Tom Roach, Garth Stone and Connor Sidebottom, of PKF Francis Clark

The charity provides life-affirming opportunities for children in Cornwall, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds and young people with disabilities or special educational needs, to try sailing and other watersports.

Jakie Jewell, chief executive of the Children’s Sailing Trust, said: “Trevassack Lake will transform our ability to welcome visitors, the local community, those with physical disabilities and special educational needs to get out sailing, paddleboarding and open water swimming all year round.

“The PKF Francis Clark team went above and beyond in volunteering their time – complete with a smile – to help us get ready for opening what is now a leading site in the UK for accessibility and inclusivity in accommodation and watersports. We couldn’t have done it without their help.

“Since opening, we’ve already had families stay in our accessible accommodation units who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to get away and spend time together. Young children with profound physical disabilities were able to get in the water swimming, kayaking and spending time with their siblings in a beautiful and rewarding setting.”

We’ve recently introduced volunteering days, encouraging every member of staff to spend a working day each year contributing to a good cause in our local community.

Tom Roach, a partner at PKF Francis Clark and trustee of the Children’s Sailing Trust, said: “We’ve recently introduced volunteering days, encouraging every member of staff to spend a working day each year contributing to a good cause in our local community. This is already proving popular and when I told the team about the opportunity to help get the site at Trevassack Lake ready for opening, they jumped at the chance.

“It was a great way for colleagues from different teams to get to know each other better. We all enjoyed spending a day in the great outdoors helping to put the finishing touches to this magnificent new sailing centre, which will enable local children to enjoy watersports, with all the benefits they bring for physical and mental health.”

PKF Francis Clark also provided VAT advice to the charity during the development of the new sailing centre, which helped to keep the project within budget.

The Children’s Sailing Trust offers watersports courses and taster sessions for people of all ages and abilities. Trevassack Lake includes an innovative fully accessible learning centre and cafe, as well as accessible holiday cottages families can use as a base for exploring the area.

Jakie added: “We’ve no doubt that the coming years will see many more people enjoy all that Trevassack Lake has to offer and experience the benefits time spent learning a new skill, working together and being outdoors has on mental and physical wellbeing.

“We’d love to hear from anyone else who is interested in volunteering their time, on or off the water.”

More information can be found at childrenssailingtrust.org.uk. Anyone interested in volunteering opportunities can get in touch by emailing [email protected].