DOVESTONE Sailing Club’s Ellia Rhodes is taking to the water for an endurance sail on Saturday, April 17 in aid of the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital (RMCH).
The 16-year-old from Grasscroft will be sailing her dinghy solo for 10 hours non-stop at Dovestone Reservoir.
Ellia has chosen to raise funds for the RMCH for two reasons.
She is a member of the RMCH Youth Forum, a group of young people who aim to improve children’s experience of the RMCH and develop services that work for them.
And as a patient at RMCH on numerous occasions, Ellia is grateful for the incredible work they do.
Ellia, who attends online Net School, said: “I am very proud to support the RMCH. With my 10-hour sail challenge, I hope to raise as much money as possible for young people who attend and stay at RMCH.
“Please share my JustGiving page justgiving.com/fundraising/ellias-sail-challenge and I look forward to your support at Dovestone Sailing Club on this fun day.”
Ellia began sailing aged nine taking Royal Yachting Association youth courses at Dovestone, initially sailing was secondary to her ballet.
In 2018, Ellia developed a painful, growth condition patello femoral dysfunction. She was unable to continue with ballet and chose to focus on sailing as her primary sport.
She has developed a love for sailing, improving her skills and bought her own dinghy called Fantaztic in December 2019.
Ellia’s mother Joanna said: “I am immensely proud of Ellia. When she does something, she gives her all. She’s keen to make a difference to the patients in her chosen wards and has my full support in reaching her goals.”
As the club’s youth representative, Ellia is also responsible for a new youth sailing club at Dovestone with RYA training taking place during the Easter holidays.
She is also actively involved in promoting more youth sailing and dedicated Friday nights begin on the April 23 (5pm-8pm) with supper after sailing.
The past year has been difficult for the club with Covid-19 restrictions limiting sailing opportunities.
With the new vaccines and the return of better weather in the spring, the club look forward to welcoming new members. See the website for more details: http://dovestonesc.org.uk
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