Broadstairs Town Council Funding Creates 10 New Wind Futures Places
East Kent Kitesurfing Community has secured £7,000 in funding from Broadstairs & St Peter’s Town Council, allowing us to offer 10 more young people from Broadstairs the opportunity to learn to kitesurf through our Wind Futures programme.
The funding represents an important next step for Wind Futures, which was created to make kitesurfing more accessible to young people who would otherwise be unlikely to have the opportunity to take part because of the cost involved.
With our first six participants now progressing through their lessons — and some already getting up on their boards and riding on the water — we are now looking for the next 10 young people from Broadstairs to join the programme.
Applications for the 10 new funded places are now open.
Creating opportunities for young people in Broadstairs
Living beside the coast provides young people in Broadstairs with access to an incredible natural environment, but taking part in many watersports can still come with a significant financial barrier.
Kitesurfing is particularly difficult to access without professional instruction. Learning safely requires a structured series of lessons with qualified instructors, as well as specialist equipment and suitable conditions.
For a family wanting to give a young person the opportunity to learn, those costs can quickly become prohibitive.
Wind Futures was created by East Kent Kitesurfing Community to help remove that barrier.
Rather than simply offering a one-off introduction to the sport, the programme gives participants the opportunity to undertake a series of professional lessons and develop their ability over time.
The aim is to give young people a meaningful introduction to kitesurfing and a genuine opportunity to progress.
Building on the progress of our first riders
The latest funding comes as the first Wind Futures participants continue to make strong progress on the water.
All six members of our original funded group have now begun their kitesurfing lessons, developing skills including kite control, safety, board handling and water confidence.
Several have already progressed to one of the biggest early milestones in learning to kitesurf: getting onto the board and beginning to ride across the water.
Their progress has demonstrated what can be achieved when young people are given enough time, support and professional instruction to properly experience the sport.
The £7,000 awarded by Broadstairs & St Peter’s Town Council now enables us to extend that opportunity to a further 10 young people living in Broadstairs.
Who can apply?
The new places are intended specifically for young people from Broadstairs whose financial circumstances would normally make paying for a programme of kitesurfing lessons difficult.
We are particularly keen to hear from young people who have an interest in watersports, outdoor activity or simply want the opportunity to try something completely new.
No previous kitesurfing experience is required.
As a general guide, the programme is aimed at young people from households who wouldn’t usually be able to afford to do the sport although we recognise that household circumstances vary and applications can be considered individually.
Applicants must be residents of Broadstairs.
Growing Wind Futures
Wind Futures began with support from Vattenfall, which enabled East Kent Kitesurfing Community to begin delivering the programme and supporting our first group of young people.
The programme has since continued to grow, with further support now coming from Broadstairs & St Peter’s Town Council and Boskalis.
For East Kent Kitesurfing Community, the long-term ambition is to create a pathway that allows more young people to access kitesurfing and engage with the coastline and watersports community around them.
The progress of our first six participants has given us an opportunity to demonstrate what the programme can achieve. The next stage is about opening that opportunity to more young people.
We are extremely grateful to Broadstairs & St Peter’s Town Council for supporting Wind Futures and investing in opportunities for young people within the local community.
Applications are now open
We are now inviting applications for the 10 Broadstairs-funded Wind Futures places.
If you live in Broadstairs and would love the opportunity to learn to kitesurf, but the normal cost of professional lessons would make taking part difficult, we would like to hear from you.
Parents and guardians are also encouraged to apply on behalf of young people who they believe would benefit from the opportunity.
There are 10 funded places available.
We would also encourage local schools, youth organisations, community groups and Broadstairs residents to share the opportunity so that the funding reaches young people who may not otherwise realise that an opportunity like this is available to them.
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