Land Rover UK Backs Grassroots Sailing
Land Rover UK together with Land Rover BAR and the team’s official charity, the 1851 Trust, is heading to a selection of UK sailing clubs to inspire the next generation of designers, engineers and sailors through a series of sailing and STEM (science, technology engineering and maths) activities.
As part of the activation, Land Rover BAR Academy sailors – along with Olympic gold medal sailor Sarah Ayton OBE – will be hosting sailing taster sessions for children of all abilities. The Land Rover BAR Academy develops some of the UK’s sailing talent and are mentored by senior members of the Land Rover BAR America’s Cup team.
As partner to the Land Rover BAR Roadshows, the Bermuda Tourism Authority, home of the 35th America’s Cup, is also giving children the chance to experience paddle boarding, bringing a taste of the island to the Roadshows. BT STEM Crew lessons, sustainability activities led by the 1851 Trust, and virtual reality experiences are also on offer as well as Q&A sessions with the sailors and Land Rover engineers who have worked closely with the team to fully engage the young attendance.
Land Rover, winner of Team or Individual Sponsorship of the Year for Land Rover BAR: Above & Beyond at this year’s BT Sport Industry Awards, has partnered with local sailing clubs in Portsmouth, Salford, Largs, Cardiff and London to create the two-day programme that is exclusively for invited schools and families throughout May and June to coincide with the 35th America’s Cup.
Sarah Ayton said: “It’s really important to me to help young people find their passion. For me, it was sailing, I started at a young age and it took years of dedication and hard work to grow that passion into a career, but I loved every minute of it. To bring new inspiration to the next generation is an incredible privilege. There are so many exciting and rewarding careers in the sports industry and working with Land Rover and the team to broaden the horizons of so many children and young people, and to talk about the importance of STEM subjects, is a cause very close to my heart.”
For the grown-ups, there will be off-road driving experiences in the new Land Rover Discovery and opportunities to learn more about the technical contribution Land Rover has made to the sailing team which includes world-first automotive to marine aerodynamics, artificial intelligence and ‘paddle-shift’ solutions.
