RYA head launches ambitious new building at young people’s activity centre in Chichester

Nestled on a quiet little peninsular of beautiful Chichester Harbour, Christian Youth Enterprises (CYE) has been transforming lives through a wealth of outdoor water- and land-based activities in Chichester Harbour for nearly four decades.

The activity centre not only supports young people from schools in the Chichester area and much further afield, but also devotes its weekends and holiday periods to creating bespoke adventure experiences for children, families and other groups, welcoming over 2500 guests every year.

This Saturday 7 October, CYE celebrated the grand opening of Thwaites House, its new, state-of-the-art building - culminating with an official launch and naming by Royal Yachting Association Chief Executive Sara Sutcliffe.

Celebrations continued on Sunday 8 October with a sponsored open water swim. The challenge was accepted by 18 swimmers of all ages, while supporters enjoyed a wealth of land-based activities, stalls and treats from a pop-up café onboard CYE’s permanently moored accommodation vessel; TS Resolute.

Accessible, practical and environmentally considerate, Thwaites House is the result of a dedicated multi-million-pound project entitled Project Delta, launched some five years previously.

Although the CYE team had long been keen to improve the quality of provision for its guests, as well as its care for the staff members who live on site for a year or two at a time, it was only possible to set this ambitious project in motion thanks to the support of a very generous donor.

Back in 2018, renowned mathematician, educationalist and administrator Professor Sir Bryan Thwaites came to see the charity, saw a clear need for support and decided to help.

Sir Bryan said: “It was the trio of Christianity, Youth and Sailing that attracted me to visit CYE five years ago - and to hear that much was in urgent need of replacement.

“I was so impressed by the whole operation that I decided to give most of my estate to CYESC at once, so that an immediate start could be made on the planning and eventual realisation of a new building.”

Since then, Sir Bryan has given over £1 million pounds to Project Delta, with the rest provided by CYE’s huge range of supporters, as well as generous trusts and grant-making bodies.

This October, despite the challenges of rising materials costs, the end is very much in sight with less than three percent (£80,000) of funds still to be raised for the final finishing touches.

The centre now boasts vastly improved staff accommodation, better storage and maintenance of both equipment and boats, and impressive provision for guests with disabilities – not to mention the best possible renewable energy via ground source heat pumps, solar panels and more.

Centre Director Mark Sheldrake said: “The result is impeccable - it’s absolutely incredible, from the quality of the finish to the use of the space.

“The design is everything we hoped it to be: it has had a wonderful response from our guests and the people who live here are loving it.”

Mark said the CYE team were honoured to be joined by RYA chief executive Sara Sutcliffe MBE.

On Saturday, in the company of over 60 sponsors and other guests, Sara revealed the gleaming name plaque on Thwaites House.

Sara said: “The RYA would like to congratulate CYE and their dedicated team for their commitment and vision for the opening of this fantastic new facility which signifies growth, progression and endless opportunities. Being an inclusive community is about making it easier for anyone to get on the water. The key is to make those places welcoming, and the RYA is committed to helping provide the facilities people need and help harness a sense of belonging to our fabulous sport “

You can make donations to CYE at cye.org.uk/build-project/