Looking Back at Our Record Breaking 2025 Centre Open Days  

Each May, our four not-for-profit watersports centres host annual Open Days. These events offer a unique opportunity for individuals who may not typically access watersports to get a taste of what a summer on the water with us can look like. 

This year, over 1000 participants joined us to explore a variety of watersports and land-based activities. From celebrating long-standing traditions like the cardboard boat race in Portland to building exciting new partnerships such as Flow Together in Birmingham, our Open Days continue to grow as an exciting and inclusive introduction to watersports. 

Portland 

This year saw Portland’s Open Day develop into a Watersports Festival, held in partnership with our on-site partners at WPNSA. An outstanding turnout saw hundreds of participants take to the water, trying their hand at sailing, paddlesports, windsurfing, and more. For the first time, all on-site partners at WPNSA joined forces for the event, offering free sailing taster sessions and discounted watersports activities, creating an inclusive and exciting experience for all ages and abilities. 

The annual cardboard boat race had some incredible entries with nearly all the boats surviving the race.  

Portsmouth  

The weather delivered for our Portsmouth Open Day, with good breeze and stunning sunshine. It was great to see so many faces at the centre taking part in a variety of activities including sailing, kayaking, archery, climbing and paddleboarding.   

“We had a fantastic day in Portsmouth watching people try out our activities, enjoy themselves, and even book to come back again. Our team had a great day, enjoyed the pizza van and look forward to seeing everyone return”

– Lauren Murray, Lead Senior Instructor.  

Reading  

We saw an awesome turnout for our Open Day alongside Burghfield Sailing Club, which saw around 300 people visiting the centre. It was great to see so many faces out on the water, trying out the different watersports taster sessions.  

“I am incredibly proud of the team effort which made the day run smoothly. Every person I saw had a smile on their face as they were leaving and it was wonderful to hear all their positive feedback.”

– Emma Bannister, Centre Manager Reading.  

Birmingham  

We saw record breaking numbers of attendees on site, taking part in a variety of land and water activities at the Flow Together Watersports Festival.  

“It was fantastic to see so many smiling faces at the centre, and the day was such a great success. Thank you to all the team who worked tirelessly to ensure it went smoothly, and to all the partners we are working with to create a lasting impact on the local Birmingham community. We are proud to have been able to share our passion and enthusiasm with the local community.”

– Tayla Donavan, Centre Manager Birmingham.  

The event marked the launch of a new initiative alongside, Street Games, Bring it on Brum, Paddle UK, Love Rowing, Canal & River trust and the Andrew Simpson Foundation. Thank you to everyone who has worked on this fantastic collaboration, we can’t wait to continue working together to make watersports more accessible in Birmingham  

Get active on the water…

Our four not-for-profit centers run courses throughout the year, if you are interested in finding out how you can get active on the water, reach out to our teams at:  

Birmingham +44 (0)121 820 2079 [email protected] 

Reading  +44 (0)118 930 3467 [email protected] 

Portland +44 (0)1305 457 400 [email protected] 

Portsmouth +44 (0)23 9266 3873 [email protected] 

by Jacob Tyson, Social Media & PR Coordinator for the Andrew Simpson Foundation and Andrew Simpson Centres 

Raised in racket sports, Jacob is now immersed in the world of watersports, capturing content and sharing stories from across the Andrew Simpson Group.