Marple sailing duo in line for award

HRH The Princess Royal, President of the Royal Yachting Association, will present two Marple sailors with the RYA’s most prestigious awards this month.

Glossop SC’s Roger Tolman receives an RYA Lifetime Commitment Award, for individuals who have shown exceptional commitment and dedication to their club or organisation for at least 15 years, at the ceremony in London on 24 November.

Meanwhile, Toddbrook SC’s Jane Thorpe collects an Outstanding Contribution Award, for individuals who have made a significant volunteer contribution either over a period of time or a ‘one-off’ effort.

Roger, 74, previously held a number of official roles at Rudyard Lake SC, before moving to Glossop where his visionary development plan led to Glossop becoming the outward-looking, inclusive, community club it is today. As Senior Instructor and Training Principal, Roger has shown unswerving support and encouragement to sailors of all abilities.

He said: “The sport’s given me individual and team challenges, a healthy life and tremendous social activity.

“I get a great kick seeing youngsters gain confidence, learn skills and develop. My fellow volunteers have shared my enthusiasm and we’ve made waves together.”

Jane, 60, was taught to sail by Roger at Glossop SC when she was 42. But after moving to Toddbrook SC, she was a driving force behind the club’s rejuvenation as an inclusive, family-friendly club where sailing is affordable and open to all.

She said: “Finding out I’d won this award was a bit of a surprise. When we first joined Toddbrook there was no youth section so we raised funds to purchase six dinghies, recruited juniors and ran a summer youth programme.

“We wanted to make sailing available to all families and it built from there.

“I’m hoping my six-month-old grandson Alex will join Toddbrook in the future.”

The RYA is boating’s national governing body.