UKSA is celebrating the 10th anniversary of it’s Test the Water programme this summer.

As the anniversary approaches, the charity is looking to track down some of the Island’s first beneficiaries to see what they are doing now. If you remember going on a Test the Water trip with your primary school in 2014, the Cowes-based charity would like to hear from you, and is offering the chance to return to UKSA with five of your friends and family for a free water-sports day this summer.

UKSA’s Test the Water programme invites all Year 6 Island children, to participate in a free half-day water-sports session each year. As well as teaching water safety, the sessions are designed to build confidence and develop key life skills, including communication, resilience, and teamwork.

Elisha Hooper, head of fundraising at UKSA, said: “The Test the Water programme was developed to make a real, tangible difference to Island children, and thanks to the generous support of local donors and Island businesses, we are able to offer this programme to every Year 6 class.”

Since 2014, 10,479 Year 6 students have taken part from 51 Island primary schools. This year UKSA is expecting over 1,400 children to take part.

As part of its Test the Water anniversary celebrations, UKSA is running a free ‘Try Sailing’ Event, from Cowes Yacht

Haven, during Cowes Week where visitors can enjoy a 40-minute sailing session and make a donation to the Test the Water fund.

London-based street artist, Jim Vision, has been asked to create a large-scale Test The Water mural on one of UKSA’s main sails.

The local community and visitors to the Cowes Fringe Festival will be able to watch the creation take shape live on Saturday, May 23, outside Cowes Harbour Commission offices at Town Quay.