Sailing charity making waves
Posted by: electime 6th July 2023
A charity which offers sailing opportunities for disabled people across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and north London has begun its 2023 season – with a helping hand from a leading builders merchant.
Colne Valley Special Sailors (CVSS) hosts activities around sailing or katakanuing on Bury Lake in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, for people of all ages with various disabilities.
The charity’s floating pontoons required new decking to start the 2023 season, and the Hemel Hempstead branch of Selco Builders Warehouse stepped forward to provide the product.
The installation work was carried out by Home Counties Loft Ladders, whose Operations Director Jaime Ridley has been volunteering with CVSS for 10 years.
More than 500 people a year used CVSS before the Covid pandemic and, while numbers dipped slightly last year, it is hoped there will be a return to a similar figure in 2023.
Mike Marcus, chairman of CVSS, said: “We are hugely grateful to Selco for the donation of decking to enable us to replace our floating pontoons and continue our activity to the same level this year.
“We survive entirely on the help and goodwill of volunteers so donations such as the one Selco has made, along with the work that Jaime and Home Counties Loft Ladders have carried out, makes a world of difference to us.
“We set up in 2001 to make sailing as accessible to as many people as possible and we have grown from there.
“Our motto is that if we have people who want to sail, we will come up with a way of making that happen.”
Selco’s Hemel Hempstead branch is based in Maylands Avenue and is one of 75 branches the company has across the UK.
Mark Upton, branch manager of Selco Hemel Hempstead, said: “The Colne Valley Special Sailors is a unique charity which does wonderful work across Hertfordshire and beyond.
“Getting people with additional needs out on the lake in a safe and enjoyable way provides a huge thrill and we were delighted to lend our support by allowing the charity to continue to grow and thrive.”
With hundreds of trade brands always in stock, Selco’s 75 UK branches are firmly focused on helping tradespeople complete their jobs as quickly and effectively as possible.
As well as offering trade services, Selco also has a strong digital presence including Click & Deliver and Click & Collect services and a new app – as well as a ‘Dial & Deliver’ telephone service – to make life as convenient as possible for tradespeople.
For more information on Selco visit www.selcobw.com
