Lecturer receives Royal sailing award

HRH Princess Anne has presented a Staffordshire University lecturer with a Royal Yachting Association (RYA) award.

Senior lecturer in sport and exercise Gary Lowe and his wife, Brenda, received a joint community award for their commitment and contribution to the sport of sailing.

The pair runs a Cheshire based training centre and have committed much of their time to developing a training and coaching programme for juniors and adults.

Gary said: “It is a great honour to receive the award and to be recongised among so many other hard working and committed volunteers.”

The volunteering work at the club has helped develop elite performers – with one junior member taking both national and world champion titles within the same year – as well as encourage mass participation.

It has also seen crossover benefits for Gary’s work at the University, such as when teaching community sport issues or through the use of other skills.

He said: “A simple example of that would be first aid, where maintaining my qualification through the University allows me to continue my coaching in the community while offering the University an experienced first aid practitioner.

“I believe that it is really important for the students to know that you are actually out there doing it and not just preaching from books and journals. It’s a case of practice what you teach.”

The Princess Royal, who is president of the RYA, presented 49 volunteers with awards at the ceremony on November 17.