Hollowell Sailing Club shortlisted for Club of the Year

Hollowell Sailing Club is on tenterhooks after learning it has been shortlisted for the prestigious RYA Club of the Year Award.

The award recognises clubs who excel at promoting the sport of sailing, encouraging people on to the water and making their activities varied and accessible to the community, and the winners will be announced at the RYA Volvo Dinghy Show in London on Saturday 5 March.

A four-strong team from Hollowell SC will join representatives from the four other nominated clubs at the show at Alexandra Palace, where they will discover who will be honoured as Britain's top sailing club for this year.

Already one of the country's most established sailing clubs and an RYA Club of the Year finalist in 2009, Hollowell SC has made great strides in creating even more opportunities for local people to get involved in sailing over the past 12 months.

As a recognised RYA Training Centre, the club has invested in six new club dinghies, plus a safety boat, so even more people can learn to sail or go racing at the club while more than 100 people attended the club's Open Day last summer.

Two of Hollowell's top young sailing talents represented Britain at high-profile international events last year: Hugh Brayshaw, with helm Mike Wood, finished a hugely-creditable sixth on their debut at the esteemed Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF Youth World Championship in Istanbul in July, the pair having been crowned RYA Volvo Youth National champions three months earlier. Meanwhile, Arran Holman represented Britain at the Optimist World Championships in Malaysia.

Mike Pipes, Hollowell SC Commodore, said: "People know when they come to Hollowell SC they will be given a really warm welcome and enjoy our activities in a safe environment, whether they're beginners or experienced sailors. We're a close-knit group and everyone appreciates the value of working hard for the good of the club. This year alone we've had eight more members qualify as instructors to support our ongoing training activities while the club members also rebuilt a major pontoon."

Hollowell boasts around 450 members, with the club's junior training sessions, which attracts some 30 youngsters every other Sunday, and its Junior Race Week amongst its biggest successes.