Children’s Sailing Trust (CST) began life as the Helford River Children’s Sailing Trust in 1997, and it’s a charity that has helped over 5,000 children to learn to sail. CST opened a brand-new headquarters and activity/holiday venue at Trevassack Lake on The Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall in late 2021.
Open to all, CST caters for all ages and abilities and the new site boasts a large fleet of boats, SUPs and kayaks, including six new Hansa dinghies. While it is now making watersports more commercial, with a subsidiary organisation charging for courses and activities, the funds all subsidise the charity. CST provides services to local schools and home education groups for children who wouldn’t normally get out on water, through bursaries, free or heavily subsidised activities and accessible holidays.
The Trevassack Lake site is a former serpentine quarry, now completely redeveloped to include a visitor centre with large function room and lakeside café, plus three fully accessible lodges as well as three large container-style, self-catering cabins, all on one level with wide doorways. These can be rented, with the money helping fund the charity, providing holiday opportunities for couples and families. A recent article in the Sunday Times highlighted just how life-changing this offer was for a family with a disabled child and illustrates how necessary – and rare – such facilities are. In fact, the lodges are booked solidly over the summer months.
In addition to its commitment to accessibility, CST has ensured that the site is sustainable, and in such a remote location, it’s had to be very creative. All water used comes from the lake itself, going through filtration systems. Electricity is partly generated on-site from solar panels on the buildings and a water-source heat pump, the rest from a renewable supplier. And all watercraft, including safety boats, are electric, to protect the wildlife, as the Lizard Peninsula is a Special Area of Conservation.
‘Floaty’, the floating classroom, is a unique, fully accessible learning environment and a chance for up to 12 children (including up to three wheelchairs) at a time to get out on the water, identify wildlife living on the lake and learn about the importance of preserving natural habitats. It is powered by solar panels on its roof and can travel at quite a speed!
Serving the local community, breaking down barriers and providing watersports for all, CST is now raising funds to expand its initial offering at the lake with floating wheelchairs, fully accessible with hoists and other adaptive craft, as well as improved facilities around the site. The current project underway is a sensory beach that will allow people with physical restrictions to enter the water more easily, as well as providing a quiet outdoor space for those who need it.
CST is an RYA Sailability and OnBoard site.
