An exceptional teenage sailor has been revealed as the winner of the Southern Region RYA Youth Champion Award.
Natasha Lambert, from Cowes, Isle of Wight, will receive her award along with the 13 regional winners at the official awards presentation taking place at the RYA Suzuki Dinghy Show on Sunday 01 March.
The awards, which were created just last year, recognise the outstanding achievement and performance of young people across the range of activities the RYA, boating’s national governing body, represents, including sailing, windsurfing and powerboating.
Natasha, who has athertoid cerebral palsy, was selected as a winner by the RYA’s Southern Region Committee for her amazing achievement in sailing 430 miles from Cowes to Swansea, then climbing, in her specially designed hart walker, the final 2,907ft up the Pen Y Fan mountain in the Brecon Beacons. She set out from Cowes on 24th July and finished her challenge nearly a month later on 22nd August.
Natasha does not have use of her hands and sails her yacht using her mouth to operate a ‘sip and puff’ mechanism that was engineered by her father and is based on a straw mounted inside a cycling helmet. She undertook the challenge to inspire other youngsters of all abilities to achieve their dreams. Of her achievement she said “After lots of hard work and practice leading up to challenge, I had such an amazing time. Very few people get to experience such an adventure, let alone people with a severe disability. I feel so privileged. I hope people see what I do and recognize others can achieve too!”
Her mother, Amanda, added “Being told she had won the Southern regional champion Natasha said “Wow! what a cool surprise!” She was absolutely thrilled to think she had been named as a winner, especially with all the incredibly talented people that were nominated.”
For more information on the RYA Regional Youth Champion Awards visit www.rya.org.uk/go/youthchampion.
