A fundraising event organised by the new luxury resort Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat has raised enough money to buy desperately needed new trailer tyres for Cowes Sailability Club.
Members of staff at Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat, operated by Darwin Escapes, have presented Cowes Sailability Club with a cheque for £140, which they raised by holding a charity cake sale and cooking demonstration on Sunday 10th April. The funds have enabled the club to replace the tyres on the trailer for ‘Iris’, a sailing boat that allows disabled people to experience the pleasure of being on the water.
“Our trailer tyres were old and worn, making it impossible for us to transport Iris on land,” says Patrick de Peyer, Commodore of Cowes Sailability Club. “This generous donation from Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat will enable us to move Iris easily, keep her well maintained and ready for groups of disabled people to enjoy.”
Opened in February this year by Darwin Escapes, Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat offers luxury lodge and tree house accommodation, along with a spa, gymnasium and restaurant, set in beautiful woodland on the edge of Wootton Bridge. The charity event celebrated Darwin Escapes’ first birthday and included demonstrations of how to cook the perfect chocolate fondant dessert plus a raffle in which the top prizes were a spa experience and a huge iced cake. Team members baked a wide range of tasty treats for the cake sale and also made personal donations to Cowes Sailability Club.
“Cowes Sailability Club is a tremendous organisation that works hard to provide boating experiences for people with a wide range of disabilities,” says Colin Hetherington, Regional General Manager for Darwin Escapes on the island. “We are incredibly proud to have been able to raise funds for the charity to upgrade its equipment.”