A New Romney couple will be presented with one of the Royal Yachting Association’s most prestigious awards by HRH the Princess Royal, President of the RYA in recognition of her commitment to Varne Watersports Club (VWC).

Zalan Paksy and Jane Glanida have been nominated for an Outstanding Contribution Award by their club and have been selected as winners by the RYA Honours and Awards Panel.  They will receive their award at the RYA’s annual awards ceremony in London on 24 November.

Zal and Jane are extraordinary volunteers at VWC.

Zal is Commodore, and apart from all the usual duties, he is normally found training new members to operate launching vehicles, or underneath the vehicles fixing them. VWC is a multi-disciplinary club and he manages to keep the different sections working together as one happy cohesive unit. He was also instrumental in raising funds for a Topper Taz fleet and securing a Sport England Inspired Facilities grant.

Jane is Safeguarding Officer and First Aider. She likes to cook which means everyone at the club eats very well for free at most sailing evenings, and she cleans the whole club house every week.

Zal and Jane’s contribution ensures that the club is friendly and inclusive, has a growing membership and has more children safely and confidently out on the water. Their children, Zane and Zara, have also encouraged many more youngsters to join along with their parents.

Zal said of their being selected: “After the initial surprise of opening the letter and reading about our nomination we were pleased that the VWC’s efforts and ethos has been recognised. Jane and I only play a small part in creating a friendly and inviting place for all who want to dip their toes in (literally).

“However, without the dedication and zeal of the many everyday volunteers we have, any one individual’s efforts would be futile. Receiving this recognition will drive us drive us to carry on promoting our sport to our local and wider community.”

For more information about how to get out on the water in the London and South East region visit www.rya.org.uk/go/startboating

For more about VWC visit https://www.varneboatclub.co.uk