Birmingham sailors to be honoured with RYA Lifetime Commitment awards

by RYA on 9 Nov 2014 A trio of Birmingham sailors will receive one of the Royal Yachting Association’s most prestigious awards from HRH the Princess Royal, President of the RYA, later this month in recognition of their huge contribution to the sport.

John Allsopp, from Streetly, Sutton Coldfield and Rubery’s Alan Salerman will be honoured with RYA Lifetime Commitment awards while Iain McDowall from Tidbury Green will receive an RYA Outstanding Contribution award at sailing’s national governing body’s annual awards ceremony in London on Friday 21 November.

John has been an instrumental figure at The Chase Sailing Club for over 50 years. He has done a huge amount to encourage young sailors at Chase, including playing an integral role in the establishment and enduring success of Youth Sailing @ Chase. He was RYA West Midlands Treasurer in the ‘70s and ‘80s too, and on retirement organised Chase’s weekly ‘Wrinklies Club’, which takes on club maintenance jobs.

Alan has been an equally enduring figure on the West Midlands sailing scene, with his greatest legacy almost single-handedly driving the re-establishment of Arden SC, near Pershore, after it was forced to move from its previous site in 1997. He has helped many hundreds of people learn to and regularly enjoy sailing as Arden’s RYA Training Principal for 27 years and also served on the RYA West Midlands committee.

Meanwhile, Iain’s title of ‘Land and Buildings Officer’ at Earlswood Lakes SC doesn’t do justice to the time and effort he devotes supporting the club in so many ways. At ELSC most days, maintaining, repairing or improving a piece of the infrastructure, Iain has forged invaluable relationships with the local water bailiff and Canal and Rivers Trust. He also assists on the club’s learn to sail courses, sharing his knowhow.

All were nominated for their awards by their club and selected as winners by the RYA Awards panel. They will enjoy a celebratory lunch in the presence of HRH The Princess Royal, and be presented with a commemorative medallion and certificate.

John said: 'We fought and won a lot of battles over the years to make sure young sailors and their families got the best deal possible to keep them sailing at Chase. The youth sailors are the soul of any club and I continued helping out with the admin side for as long as I could. Even now, I still enjoy going to the club on a Saturday morning, having a bacon sandwich and a cup of tea and seeing what’s going on.'

Alan said: 'Sailing, and club membership especially, has brought friendship, long-standing in many cases, opportunities for social interaction and physical activity but above all, the quiet satisfaction from harnessing and turning to advantage, either racing or cruising, the strength and vagaries of the planet's petulant wind stream. With a name like mine, what activity other than sailing could I have pursued!'

Iain said: 'I was incredibly surprised and honoured when the letter came through to say I had won this award. The sailing club’s become like an extended family. There’s always someone about to chat to and people’s background or what they do for a living is irrelevant as soon as they walk through the door. I’m very proud of the club and enjoy seeing it flourish and develop, I get as much back as I put in.'

Mike Kelly, former RYA West Midlands Chair, nominated John. He said: 'When John approached retirement, he was still sailing but wasn’t content to just sit back. Passionately believing everyone should do something for the good of the club he set off on a different tack. His dedication to club and region shouldn’t be overlooked.'

Of Alan, Arden SC’s Keith Stevens said: 'We are delighted Alan has been awarded the Lifetime Commitment Award for his sheer dedication, commitment, enthusiasm, sportsmanship and friendship to Arden SC and its members. The award more than justifies his exceptional lifetime of commitment as a volunteer.'

Robert Marshall, Earlswood Lakes SC Commodore, added: 'lain's contribution is exceptional because of the breadth and depth of his work for ELSC. He is magnificent in the way he identifies what can be done to improve the club and just gets on and does it, helping to promote ELSC and sailing by ensuring visitors see ELSC at its RYA