Hilltop Junior School visit Thames Estuary Yacht Club
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It may have been the windiest day in June, when we joined the children of Hilltop Junior school at Thames Estuary Yacht Club, in Southend-on-Sea, but we couldn’t have predicted that when we arranged it.
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Determined to give their visitors an experience to remember, TEYC adapted quickly and changed the activities from Dinghy sailing to, what turned out to be, a fantastic Yacht sailing experience day.
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These amazingly resilient young people took on every challenge, with enthusiasm and vigour.
Challenge 1: To get out to the yachts, that were moored in the Estuary. This involved a short ride on the TEYC Ribs, that were acting as support boats, to ferry them out in small groups.
Challenge 2: Climbing from the safety of the Rib up, onto the yachts, in choppy seas. Impressively every child listened carefully to our instructions and trusted in the experience of the sailors around them to climb from the sponson of the Rib onto the gunwale and over the safety rail.
With all twelve children, one teach, and six crew members safely onboard, it was time to set off!
Miss Mason drew the short straw and joined us on Rib1, with the task of getting some action shots of the activities. Her dedication was impressive and she accepted her soaking with grace!
The power boats had to work hard to keep up with the wind powered vessels but they tracked closely behind, to ensure everyone’s safety.
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Each group were taken on a guided tour of their yacht. There was time for them to experience taking the helm, learning about the sails, and enjoying the thrill of the speed.
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What a sight it must have been from the Pier to see a yacht with a row of children dangling their feet in the spray of the Thames Estuary and laughing with glee! The children of Hilltop Junio School were amazing!
As a small token of our appreciation we asked the children to present the club Commodore, David, and the club Powerhouse, Cheryl with a small thank you, that they can share with the club members.
Our thanks does not end there because the volunteers, from TEYC, were all absolutely amazing and made the absolute most of the day, giving the children of Hilltop School an experience they will not forget.
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GAFHA has ongoing plans and needs your ongoing support. More sailing days are in the pipeline and other plans are being hatched.
Every child deserves the opportunity to explore their potential and while there are willing communities around us, we hope to help many more children explore.
Thames Estuary Yacht Club welcomes GAFHA
GAFHA teamed up with the amazing TEYC to provide another sailing taster day
The resourceful and determined team at Thames Estuary Yacht Club did not let the high winds deter them, they just took a different tack.
It was not quite sandcastles and ice creams at Southend this weekend but some of us still managed to get our shorts on.
With winds gusting up to 25knots yesterday, our sailing experience day with Thames Estuary Yacht Club was not quite what we'd planned but the fantastic members of this super friendly club gave the children, and us, a day to remember.
It was all hands on deck to ferry the 12 children and 8 adults out to the yachts for their adventure. Further updates and photos of everyone enjoying the day to follow.
Kindness strengthens communities: Will Noel Bursary
The Community of Walton & Frinton Yacht Club continue to show their kindness
In memory of a much loved member of their community, Will Noel's friends and family generously sponsor the training of young sailors, so that a new generation can find the enjoyment, that William found as a young Cadet.
Walton & Frinton Yacht Club are once again offering a bursary to give young people the chance to have sailing lessons and experience life in control of the elements, on the water.
The community spirit of this unassuming Yacht club is growing year-on-year.
If you know a young person that would love the opportunity to experience sailing, develop existing skills, or begin their journey on the water, follow the links in the photos and register for the Will Noel Bursary, with Walton & Frinton Yacht Club
Don't think we've been doing nothing over the winter
GAFHA hasn't rested, we've been upskilling!
With the winter weather, sailing experiences are only for the most hardy and we want to encourage young people to get on the water, not freeze them stiff!
Not only have we been speaking to schools and sailing clubs to organise future projects, we've completed RYA accredited power boat training and are continuing to upskill to our RYA safety boat accreditation.
The safety of the young people we support has to be top priority, so, in a slightly warmer environment, I completed the RYA first aid course, ready for our summer activities.
A huge thank you to Walton & Frinton Yacht Club, for inviting us to join them on training sessions this winter and we're looking forward to hosting as many young people as possible, at our various planned events in 2026!
Mrs Christmas has been busy knitting
Meanwhile GAFHA has been busy collecting!
Once again our dedicated little helper, Jo, has organised Christmas Jumper donations, so that every child in the local school can feel included.
No child should miss out on the joy of Christmas and Jo has worked hard to ensure that each and every child has a jumper, for Christmas jumper day!
While Mrs Christmas was working hard, Jo has been working smart, collecting pre-loved Christmas jumpers.
Not only is this very thoughtful, it's better for the environment and allows us all to contribute to our communities.
Great work Jo, spreading Kindness in your Community.
Mrs Christmas has been busy knitting
Meanwhile GAFHA has been busy collecting!
Once again our dedicated little helper, Jo, has organised Christmas Jumper donations, so that every child in the local school can feel included.
No child should miss out on the joy of Christmas and Jo has worked hard to ensure that each and every child has a jumper, for Christmas jumper day!
While Mrs Christmas was working hard, Jo has been working smart, collecting pre-loved Christmas jumpers.
Not only is this very thoughtful, it's better for the environment and allows us all to contribute to our communities.
Great work Jo, spreading Kindness in your Community.
Charity fund raising with Danbury & Villages Rotary
A Wonderful Evening at the Danbury & Villages Rotary President’s Dinner
GAFHA was delighted to attend the recent President’s Dinner hosted by Danbury & Villages Rotary, held in honour of their incoming President, Linda Browning. The evening was a joyful celebration of Rotary fellowship, community spirit, and charitable giving.
From the moment we arrived, we were met with the warm hospitality that Danbury & Villages Rotary is known for. Members of the club, along with Rotarians from across the District and Friends of Rotary, made us feel incredibly welcome. It was heartening to see such a strong turnout from various local clubs, all coming together to support a shared cause.
The night, at Lodge Country Events, featured a delicious meal, followed by a lively raffle, tombola, and charity auction, all followed by live music and a packed dance floor!
Funds raised during the evening will go towards several worthy causes, including J’s Hospice and Sanctus, both of which do incredible work supporting vulnerable individuals in our community.
We were especially pleased by the interest shown in GAFHA’s mission and goals. Many attendees were keen to learn more about what we aim to achieve, and we look forward to building on these connections in the months ahead.
Our thanks go to Linda Browning and the entire Danbury & Villages Rotary Club for a memorable evening. We are excited about the opportunities to collaborate further and deeply appreciate the ongoing support from Rotary.
Here’s to a successful year ahead for President Linda and the club!
Continued support from Danbury & Villages Rotary
Our very generous supporters at Danbury & Villages Rotary, kindly presented us with two donations this week!
First they presented us with a gratefully received donation of £200, to help us plan and finance further projects, for young people.
The second surprise of the evening was that they're giving us a flock of ducks! Or more accurately a raft of ducks because the donation consists of a huge number of rubber ducks.
Why?
The ducks are being re-homed from Maldon Rotary, who have used them in their annual duck race, to raise money for various charities, and now they'll do their work for GAFHA. The ducks will help us to pay the bills (see what I did there?) as people flock to our fun duck races in 2026 and go quackers to see them compete.