Thorpe Bay Yacht Club received the Olympic seal of approval for their youth training scheme.

Ben Ainslie, a gold medallist at the Sydney games, presented a plaque and flag to the Southend club in recognition of their success in encouraging young sailors.

And club commodore Peter Thompson was delighted with the recognition.

"It is very prestigious for the club to have something like this," he said. "We are one of the biggest clubs on the east coast.

"We are not a centre to take people off the streets but we do try to encourage club members into racing from an early age and it is good that this hard work is being acknowledged."

Anyone interested in joining the club should contact the secretary on 01702 587563 or log on to the website at www.tybc.org.uk

Published Wednesday, March 20, 2002