UKSA has signed a 50-year lease on the adjacent Cowes Youth Centre, bringing new sports and leisure facilities to UKSA and the local community. The youth centre will be upgraded with the creation of four new classrooms, the installation of CCTV, door entry systems and new wheelchair access to the sports hall. The majority of work should be completed within six months. The investment follows UKSA’s recent purchase of four Jeanneau 449 yachts which will be used for training.
“We want our students to work on the very best boats so they are fully equipped with all the skills they need to excel in their careers,” said Ben Willows, CEO at UKSA. “Our Capital Investment Programme, which will take place over the next three to four years, will rationalise and remodel the whole site into flexible, modular accommodation, enabling more people to stay at UKSA. We will also be able to train professional clients, youth groups and young apprentices simultaneously. The first milestone in the delivery of the programme is the construction of a new accommodation and training facility, beginning in winter 2019.”
Ben Willows (left) receives UKSA’s Silver membership certificate from IW Chamber Chief Executive Steven Holbrook, marking 20 years of Chamber membership for the Cowes charity.
