In September 2015, Conningbrook Country Park was opened to the public next to the Julie Rose Stadium in Ashford. The Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club through its Sailing School was asked to develop dinghy sailing on the quarried Conningbrook Lakes, and started offering dinghy sailing there for the first time from October 2015.

With the help of a grant from Kent Trust for Youth Sport, courses and training have been offered from March 2016 to enable young people from the Ashford area to try out dinghy sailing for the first time, by helping with instructor/coaching costs. Demand has been high and courses have been fully booked, culminating in a packed day in May 2016 when over 60 people – adults and young people alike – attended a sailing taster day at Conningbrook.

A dedicated website for the club is now available with up to date information available via our facebook page and twitter. We thank Kent Trust for Youth Sport for supporting this project in its early stages, and we will endeavour to continue to establish it further in the area.