Jubilee Sailing Trust to face closure unless it raises £500,000 to stay afloat

A Southampton based charity offering sailing experiences for those with disabilities could face closure unless it raises £500,000 to keep afloat.

The Jubilee Sailing Trust says it will be forced into administration if it does not raise the money by Thursday 14 April, and a total of £1.2 million by the end of September 2022.

The charity cited the effects of the pandemic leading to an immediate cash flow crisis.

JST CEO Patrick Fleming said: “We are in a desperately difficult situation and have to face the harsh reality that we may not be able to continue."

He added: “Our co-founder, Christopher Rudd, first began working with disabled children by teaching them to sail in dinghies. He believed that most of the constraints that prevented them sailing further offshore were artificial and could be overcome. 

"He also believed that if disabled and non-disabled people were to sail alongside each other, it would help break down the prejudices and misunderstandings between different social groups. His vision was to use thoughtful design and equipment to create a fully accessible ship to be crewed by a mixed ability crew."

In 2019, it faced a similar ultimatum and had to raise £1m to keep running, but luckily managed to gather the necessary funds.

The charity was founded in 1978 and provides tall ship experiences onboard its vessel Tenacious, which it says is the only one in the world that can be sailed by a mixed ability crew.

In response to the news of potential closure, one person wrote: "Jubilee Sailing helped my sister, Clea, so much in her 20’s (and gave my mum a bit of respite!) when her life was dramatically changed when she had a swelling on her brain at 19 and left her brain damaged with a mental age of 10 and an emotional age of 14."

The charity's planned voyage programme released through to the end of April 2023 will now not take place unless it can raise the funds. The next voyage is due to take place on April 22.