Sail to Reward Regatta Raises £20,000 for Room to Reward

Room to Reward are delighted to be reveal the first ever Sail to Reward Fundraising Regatta raised over £20,000 for the unique hospitality charity.

The spectacular event took place on Monday 19^th June. 12 teams, including Harbour Hotels, Homegrown Hotels and Starboard Hotels, took to the water to learn the ropes and compete in a series of races on the Solent.

The event was organised by Prometheus Sailing – based in Portsmouth – whose crew guided the teams through sailing tutorials before the three races, while the Isle of Wight Distillery were headline sponsors, providing drinks for all and the coveted trophy to the winning team.

Starboard Hotels, who have been partners of Room to Reward for a number of years and whose Chair, Paul Callingham, is an ambassador of the charity, took home first place, with Harbour Hotels and Guests in second and Meridien Modena – an official Ferrari dealership in Hampshire – in third.

A day on the water was followed by a luxurious three course dinner at Southampton Harbour Hotel & Spa, complete with a fundraising auction and an after-dinner speech from Dee Caffari, the first woman to sail single-handed and non-stop around the world.

The Regatta is the largest event the charity has ever put on and the money raised will support Room to Reward’s mission to use donated unsold hotel rooms as a means to enable charities and community groups to give a short break to their inspirational volunteers.

“It as a fantastic, unforgettable day for us,” said Adam Terpening, the charity’s Director. “We are hugely grateful to Simon Boulding and his fantastic team at Prometheus Sailing, Southampton Harbour Hotel & Spa and Isle of Wight Distillery for making it possible.

“We are a small charity and of course funding is absolutely vital to what we do. The amazing amount of money raised will enable us to make a real difference to charities, community groups and the Hidden Heroes who do so much for them.

To everyone who climbed aboard a boat, sponsored the event, donated an auction prize, came to dinner, bought a raffle ticket and made the event such a success, your support means more than words can say. We are so grateful. Thank you so much.”

To see more pictures from Sail to Reward and discover more about the event attendees and sponsors, as well as the work of Room to Reward, visit: https://www.roomtoreward.org/sail-to-reward-2023/