Colemere Sailing Club opens new £30,000 facilities
Colemere Sailing Club is offering improved, sailing opportunities after Owen Paterson MP, officially opened their new £30,000 launching and safety facilities.
The Ellesmere club, which has been sailing on the mere at Colemere since 1959, caters for serious sailors, racers, improvers and families wanting to introduce their children to the sport. The launching and safety improvements, include new purpose built jetties and two additional rescue boats, meaning the launching and recovery of boats is now easier, while the added safety boats mean the club can run more activities at the same time.
Colemere Sailing Club received £31,000 of National Lottery funding through Inspired Facilities, part of the £135 million Places People Play legacy programme that is bringing the magic of a home Olympic and Paralympic Games into communities across the country.
Mr Paterson officially opened the facilities and named the two new safety boats, Wenlock and Mandeville, after the London 2012 mascots. He said: “I’m always encouraging local organisations to apply for lottery funding and was delighted to see funds coming to North Shropshire for such a worthwhile project.”
Mr Paterson was joined by Cllr Ann Hartley (Deputy Leader Shropshire Council and County Councillor for Ellesmere), Cllr Steve Charmley (Portfolio for Business Growth, Shropshire Council), Alan Clarke (Mayor of Ellesmere), and Mike Kelly (Chairman RYA West Midlands) to unveil the facilities, funded by Sports England’s Inspired Facilities Olympic legacy fund.
Following the opening ceremony the guests watched a sail past of racing boats and Mr Paterson officiated in the start of the second race of the day
Hugh Farrington, Colemere Sailing Club Commodore, said: “The completion of the project was the conclusion of a restoration of the club that had commenced with the purchase of the clubhouse building by the members and securing of a 50 year lease on the Mere in 2007.Since then the clubhouse has been much improved. The first generation of sailors at Colemere had established a successful club and now the current generation has secured the future for the next and future generations.”
