Thanks to Myrid for this latest news from Girls For Sail. Ed
The ‘This Girl Can’ campaign launched on national TV to support more women to take up the sports and activities they want to pursue. And according to award-winning Cowes-based sailor and mentor Annie, the campaign is vital in attracting women to the possibilities sport can offer beyond simply keeping fit.
The Sport England campaign, which has already been described as ‘ground-breaking’, is also backed by sporting greats and celebrities including Clare Balding, Dame Kelly Holmes and Sally Gunnell.
Annie said:
“This campaign puts women at the heart of decision-making for how they exercise and it’s trying to break down the barriers that stop women from taking that first step to getting active.
“The campaign message is about just taking part, it doesn’t matter how, just doing it is what matters.
“I set up Girls For Sail for the same reason. I’m passionate about encouraging women to try a sport that isn’t always perceived as being female-friendly. But it is and we’ve proved it. We’ve taught thousands of women that sailing can be one of the most fun, liberating and confidence-building sports that they could try.
“And that’s what I think the This Girl Can campaign is all about, encouraging women to overcome their concerns about trying something new and taking that first step. I applaud this campaign and its aims.”
Fewer women participate in sport
Research shows that two million fewer women regularly participate in sport or exercise than men, despite three quarters of women between 14 and 40 saying they would like to do more.
Girls For Sail founder Annie, whose firm is based at Shepard’s Wharf Marina in Cowes and in St. Lucia in the Caribbean, added:
“We already do whatever we can to encourage women to participate in sport but this campaign will be an enormous help in making sure that this is a national call to arms.
“We will be hosting a Ladies Who Launch evening to introduce anyone who might be interested in dipping their toe in the water with us in February and we’d love to see as many people as possible come along. We welcome everyone with open arms and anyone wanting to come alone shouldn’t worry, our staff and skippers will make sure you have a fun evening.
“If that’s a date that doesn’t suit we’re always at the end of the phone!”
Look out for campaign on TV
‘This Girl Can’ launched with a 90-second national primetime advert last week and features women of all shapes and sizes taking part in exercise and sport.
No models were used in the campaign which will show real women doing real sport to the soundtrack of Missy Elliot’s Get Ur Freak On. There will also be a poster campaign to back up social media and TV messaging.
Girls For Sail
Girls For Sail is based at the home of UK sailing in Cowes on the Isle of Wight and was launched in 1999 to offer competitively priced sail training holiday and weekend breaks from the firm’s UK and Caribbean sail training bases.
Founded by Annie O’Sullivan, GFS exists to give women the opportunity to learn to sail in a supportive and fun environment. Girls for Sail has been training women to sail and race in the UK, Europe, across the Atlantic and in the Caribbean since 1999 teaching thousands of women to sail since its launch.
Ladies Who Launch will be held at the Royal Ocean Racing Club, St. James’s Place, London, SW1A 1NN, on Thursday 26th February at 6pm. For more information please visit www.girlsforsail.com or call 01983 282867.
