RYA Scotland Annual Awards ask people in Scotland to nominate

2012 Club of the Year winners, Plockton Small Boats Club with Olympic silver medallist Luke Patience © Rob Eyton-Jones

RYA Scotland have now opened nominations for their annual awards for the month of November only and are asking for anyone involved with our sport in Scotland to place their nominations and help to recognise the hard work, effort and expertise of a large number of people who contribute in a number of ways.

At just about every event you go to throughout the country you will often hear thanks being given at the end of the day to all the volunteers who helped and that without their help the event simply could not have happened. Truer words could not be spoken as our sport very much hinges on the help and support of so many generous people who selflessly give up their evenings, weekends and holidays to help ensure that events run, training is provided and that new comers are welcomed with a friendly face.

Once a year RYA Scotland like to try to recognise some of the hard work that is taking place around the country and celebrate some of the successes that have been experienced over the year. These awards wouldn't be able to take place without nominations for each of the awards and this is where RYA Scotland asks everyone to have a think about the people they sail with, work with, some of the people that appear every week at their club and the familiar faces helping at lots of events throughout the year. Now is the time to take a few minutes to tell us about how some of these people help our sport and a bit about the kind of support they give.

Submitting your nominations for any of the annual awards is really easy and takes no time at all. There is no need for printing off forms, hunting for a stamp and then dashing out to the post box in the freezing cold. The nomination form doesn't ask you to give the inside leg measurement of the person you are trying to nominate or their mother's maiden name. All RYA Scotland asks is that you give as much detail as you can so that the judging panel have enough information to make an informed judgement for each of the awards. The judging panel includes a few familiar names that have helped on the panel in previous years including Chris Tiso and double Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson OBE.

There is also a fantastic awards dinner to look forward to on Saturday 1 February 2014. Taking place at the Glasgow Science Centre the winners of the annual awards will be presented with their prizes. The winners of the RYA Scotland Scottish National Rankings will also be presented with their prizes so it is hoped that lots of people from the sailing community in Scotland will come along to enjoy a sociable meal and give the winners a cheer.

To nominate for the awards please go to www.ryascotland.org.uk. Nominations are open for the month of November only so you need to be quick. You can find a link to the online nominations form on the homepage and in the Quick Links section you will also find a link to the RYA Shop where you can purchase your dinner tickets. You can purchase individual tickets or if you plan to come along as a club or group you can purchase tables of 10.RYA Scotland look forward to seeing you there and celebrating with you!

You can also follow RYA Scotland on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest information and updates.