A GUISELEY sailor has had his contribution to the sport recognised by Princess Anne at the Royal Yachting Association Volunteer Awards.

Philip Whitehead received an RYA Lifetime Commitment Award which recognises individuals who have shown exceptional commitment and dedication to their club or organisation for at least 15 years. Mr Whitehead was commended for his contribution to grassroots sailing and to the Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club.

The RYA Volunteer Awards are considered the 'MBEs' of the sport and 44 people from across Britain were honoured for their exceptional generosity and commitment to boating at the ceremony held at One Great George Street, Westminster.

Rear Commodore Whitehead has been involved with his sailing club for more than 40 years and has served in many roles including commodore, treasurer and trustee. He played a vital role in taking the club to charitable status and led initiatives to secure funding and planning permission for the permanent clubhouse at Grimwith Reservoir.

He said: "It was an honour to receive this award and an absolute privilege to be nominated. I was accepting it on behalf of all the volunteers at the club who have put in a lot of work to get to where we are today."

RYA Director of Sport Development Alistair Dickson said: "The RYA Volunteer Awards are all about celebrating the hard work and dedication of the many volunteers who put so much in to support our sport.

"It's really important we take the time to say thank you. These volunteers are making our sport happen and without them we wouldn't be getting out on the water and enjoying all the activities which we do today."

Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club C is based on the largest piece of water in Yorkshire which welcomes newcomers from those just starting and families and people returning to the sport. The club now has a state of the art clubhouse with an impressive viewing platform.