Olympic sailor Micky Beckett has raised over £18,000 to help kids get on the water by raffling the boat he raced at Paris 2024.
Beckett, who represented Team GB this summer in the men’s dinghy class, sold tickets for the £8,700 ILCA 7 dinghy for £10 to enable as many people as possible, whether sailors or not, to have a chance at winning. All the £18,053 raised will go to the Andrew Simpson Foundation, a charity set up in memory of British Olympian Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson following his tragic death in 2013. The foundation provides opportunities for youngsters to experience sailing from its centres in Portland, Reading, Portsmouth and Birmingham, a cause Beckett is passionate about.
“It’s no secret that for athletes the time straight after the Olympics is a bit weird and can be a struggle, so doing this raffle has really helped me keep busy and made me feel like I’m making a difference,” Beckett said.
“I swapped going to the gym for trying to sell tickets for £10 and I’ve really enjoyed how much everyone has engaged with it. I know people who barely sail yet were excited to buy a ticket. We’ve managed to raise £18,000 for an incredible charity, which is something I’m really proud of. Raising money for the foundation has always been something I’ve wanted to do.
“Given the Foundation was set up in Bart’s name, and his huge Olympic success, it seems fitting to try and maintain that link between the Foundation and the Olympics by raising money with the boat I used this summer.”
Also up for grabs in the raffle was the sail Beckett used at the Games, still with its Olympic branding on. Mark McKee from Northern Ireland won the boat, while Gloucester’s Rob Hunt won the sail. Beckett, who hails from Solva in Pembrokeshire, personally called the winners to tell them of their success, and will deliver both prizes in person later this month. The raffle was backed by Ovington Boats, which donated the ILCA 7, and Tideway Wealth.
“We’ve just announced the winners, who I’ll be delivering the boat and sail to in a few weeks. The boat is quite special; it looks stunning with the Olympic rings still on it. The gentleman who won it will hopefully use it regularly and have a great story about how he came to own the boat, which might even inspire a few people to get into sailing.”
Caroline Slocock, the Andrew Simpson Foundation’s fundraising manager, said: “We’d like to extend a massive thank you to Micky for coming up with this fantastic initiative, alongside the contributing partners Ovington Boats, Tideway, and the British Sailing Team who helped make it a great success. The money raised will see over 500 young people experience sailing, many for the first time. Athletes like Micky are great inspirations for the young people we welcome onto the water, and the money raised could even be an introduction to sailing for future Olympic stars.”
