Royal honour as sailor gets national volunteer award

A Glossop sailor was among 57 people from across the UK recognised for their commitment to supporting grassroots sailing at the Royal Yachting Association's (RYA) Volunteer Awards.

The awards were presented by the Princess Royal, president of the RYA, as Tim Snellgrove received an RYA Lifetime Commitment Award, for individuals who have shown exceptional commitment and dedication to their club or organisation for at least 15 years.

For 30 years Snellgrove has been an active member of Glossop Sailing Club, being involved in the club management for 20.

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He has played a leading role in the significant modernisation and infrastructure changes and development planning, which have led to the club becoming a thriving, family-friendly place.

Snellgrove said: “I met a very interesting group of sailors who had done amazing things in their clubs and organisation.

“We shared experiences from our different fields and there were interesting lessons to learn.”

The RYA is boating’s national governing body and the Volunteer Awards are sometimes considered the MBEs of the sport, honouring people throughout the UK for their outstanding contributions across all the disciplines the RYA represents, including sailing, windsurfing, powerboating, inland waterways and personal watercraft.

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The winners were selected by the RYA Honours and Awards Panel.

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On presenting the awards, the Princess Royal stressed how volunteers in sailing clubs and class associations across the country should not underplay the difference they made.

Alistair Dickson, RYA director of sport development, said: “The RYA Volunteer Awards recognise the outstanding contributions made by volunteers nationwide.

“The ceremony was a fantastic opportunity to say thank you to the people that go above and beyond, giving that little bit extra to ensure others can enjoy the sport we all love.”

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Chris Preston, chairman of the RYA, added: “Our Volunteer Awards are critical to our sport because if we look at what the RYA does through the clubs, we have more than 80,000 volunteers that make this all possible.”

For more information about the RYA Volunteer Awards or to find out how you can get out on the water in the Midlands visit www.rya.org.uk