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The Queen Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh Visit The Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy

12 June 2009

Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, visited the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA) on June 11th. The Academy provides access to the best small boat sailing waters in the world and is the first venue to be completed for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Royal Party met Bronze Medallist, Chris Draper and Olympic hopefuls in training, including Peter Greenhalgh, Andrea Brewster, Alison Young, Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes, as well as local people who are learning to sail as part of WPNSA's programme with the Chesil Trust - which offers subsidised Royal Yachting Association sailing courses many of which are run in conjunction with SailLaser for children and young people who are disabled or at a social disadvantage.

The scheme is just one of the WPNSA's and SailLaser's many community involvement initiatives including the opportunity for individuals to 'Sail for £5',or for family groups of up to four people to have a sail for £10 and which will be available to the public again on July 11th as part of the 'Spirit of the Sea' Festival.

John Tweed, Chief Executive of the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, said: "It is an enormous honour for the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy that both Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh have seen firsthand the completed Olympic Delivery Authority works and the Chesil Trust 'Sail for a Fiver' programme. We have given The Royal Party a real flavour of how important this facility is for the whole community, not just the competitive sailors".

Ends

Notes to Editors

Scottish and Southern Energy

SSE has been the Gold sponsor of the WPNSA since July 2006. This £300,000 partnership will continue until 2014 and is designed to enable the Academy to maximise its renewable energy potential and to support a strong youth development programme. Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) is one of the largest energy companies in the UK. It is involved in the generation, transmission, distribution and supply of electricity; energy trading; the storage, distribution and supply of gas, electrical and utility contracting; and telecoms. SSE supplies more than 8 million customers through its retail brands Southern Electric, SWALEC, Scottish Hydro Electric and Atlantic. It transmits and distributes electricity to over 3.6 million customers in central southern England and the north of Scotland.SSE is the largest non-nuclear electricity generator with over 10,000 megawatts of capacity from the most diverse portfolio of power stations. It is also the leading generator of electricity from renewable resources. www.scottish-southern.co.uk/SSEInternet.

Contact:

Julian Reeves
SSE Corporate Communications

Julian.Reeves@scottish-southern.co.uk
T +44 (0) 1738 455 103

Charles Russell LLP

Charles Russell is a top 50 full service City legal practice with offices in London, Guildford, Cheltenham, Cambridge, Oxford, Geneva and Bahrain. It provides a wide range of legal services for corporate and private clients. It is a member of The Association of European Lawyers www.europeanlawyers.org, and ALFA International www.alfanet.org. These pages contain general information only and do not constitute advice on any specific matter. No liability can be accepted by Charles Russell LLP for any action taken or not taken as a result of this information. Charles Russell LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales, registered number OC311850, and is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. A list of members is available for inspection at the registered office, 8-10 New Fetter Lane, London, EC4A 1RS. Any reference to a partner in relation to Charles Russell LLP is to a member of Charles Russell LLP. For more information, visit www.charlesrussell.co.uk.

Contact :

Daryl Atkinson
Charles Russell Marketing Director

daryl.atkinson@charlesrussell.co.uk

T: +44 (0)20 7203 5119

Musto

Musto offers support to a wide range of sailing projects from grass roots with the Volvo International Optimist Sailing to big offshore adventures such as the Vendée Globe and Volvo Ocean Race. A recent initiative, the Musto Academy also looks to develop young sailors' potential into becoming future medallists. www.musto.com.

Brian Pilcher, BPPR
mailto:bppr@pilchers.net
+44(0)1243 839 384

Amy Smith, Musto
amy.smith@musto.com
+44 (0)1268 491 555

Contact Details

Name: Julian Reeves
Tel: +44 (0) 1738 455 103
Email: Julian.Reeves@scottish-southern.co.uk

Third Party Issuer

Team South West