A sailing club have been praised for the support they provide to a 24-year-old woman with special needs.

Sharna Beeney has Rett Syndrome and is a wheelchair user. She cannot walk or stand but has developed confidence through getting involved in sailing at Westbere, based near Canterbury.

She used to go with her school to Westbere and, post-Covid pandemic, mum Juliette decided to rejoin the club - a registered charity - so Sharna could take up sailing once again.

The club are where Hilary Lister, the first disabled woman to sail solo around Britain, who died in 2018, started sailing.

Juliette explained: “Sharna used to go to a special needs school in Canterbury and they used to go as a group there. They used to sail the big whammels and Sharna used to lay on a beanbag - and she loved it!

“Then Sharna left school and went to college where, unfortunately, they didn’t do it.

“Back about 10 years ago, I did a private session with Sharna and my son. I say it was private, they literally charged £5 for it, and they took my son out in a rib so that he could film Sharna going sailing. But at that point, we didn’t go in one of their larger boats.

"They look beyond Sharna's disability..."

“We went in what used to be Hilary Lister’s training vessel. Hilary Lister was a quadriplegic who sailed around the UK and further afield single-handed. She used the suck-and-blow technique to control the boat. They actually trained her how to sail down at Westbere.

“At that point, we went out in her boat and Sharna really enjoyed it. Then of course, she continued to go with school and then went to college where they didn’t go.

“Then Covid kind of happened and I was looking for outside things for Sharna to be doing which were as safe as possible and I thought ‘Let’s do sailing’.

“So I got back in contact with them and they set up a few sessions last year and, by the end of it, we actually became members down there.

“She’s had six sessions this year, really enjoyed them again and the last session we actually had a film crew with us that took video footage from the air and from the rib boat, filming Sharna doing what she does best.

“Sharna is very disabled so she can’t actually sail the boat but that’s, basically, the story of how we got involved.”

Depending on the weather conditions, the mother-and-daughter team can have very different experiences - including rough rides, which mum doesn’t enjoy but Sharna finds fun - but the overall experience certainly is a positive one.

“The biggest thing is that, the night after sailing, she actually sleeps,” said Juliette on Sharna, who is also non-verbal and has anxiety, sleep and epilepsy issues.

“That means I get a night’s sleep which is a rare thing. We don’t like the winter because we don’t go sailing.

“Quite often, the impact of the sailing will last a few days. So definitely, the first night we will have a good night’s sleep, but the following day and the day after that, she will be a lot less anxious.

"She goes to day-centre and they’ll say ‘She’s been calm and smiley today’, and that’s because she knows where she’s been.”

Juliette praised the volunteers at Westbere for the assistance they provide.

She said: “Westbere is a really strange place with where it is. When you are given directions, it doesn’t have an address or anything.

"You drive through a semi-residential area, and there’s a miniature railway there, and you keep on and keep on going.

“They say to you ‘Just keep going’ and the path gets narrower, narrower and narrower - and you are thinking ‘I really shouldn’t be here’ - and then all of a sudden, it just opens up. There’s loads of boats everywhere!

"We don't like the winter because we don't go sailing..."

“It’s very peaceful. When you arrive, everyone comes over to say ‘Hello’ and they’re so friendly.

“They look beyond Sharna’s disability. They see her for who she is. They’re very welcoming, very conscious of her needs and, from a safety perspective, they’re absolutely brilliant.

“They hoist her into the boat, they make sure she has cushions under and around her, and they make her really comfortable before we set off. Even when we are out there, they’re asking how she is and they’re just really nice people.

“Considering they’re all volunteers, they do it because they love doing it - they’re not paid to do it, they are amazing people.

"They go above and beyond what everyday people do.”

And Juliette says she and Sharna would definitely recommend the club to anyone else.

“Everything is done so safely down there,” she added. “Health and safety is paramount but it’s not put down our throats.

“A lot of stuff that Sharna does - when she went to college and when she went to school - there’s so much health and safety, but there’s lots of form-filling. Down there, it’s like it’s their problem, not my problem.

“They have a very can-do attitude for disabilities. You can sense the passion in what they do and what they’re trying to achieve.

“So, yes, I would totally recommend Westbere Sailing Opportunities.”

Overall this year, Westbere looked after more than 1,000 people and, in Sharna’s case, Juliette can see that it’s made a difference.

She said: “It’s about once every three or four weeks [in the summer]. We now pay because Sharna is a fully-paid member.

“They then sort their schedule because I think they only sail twice a week or so, so you’re kind of fitting in among everyone else.

“They have lots of residential homes that go along with a few more private people that go. They were saying, this year, they have had more than 1,000 people go through their books. But you don’t realise.

“When you go, there’s just a few of you. Usually when we go, you might get one or two homes, and one or two other people, but they haven’t had a huge amount of boats.

“They’re not show-offy. But they have had more than 1,000 people, yet it’s tiny!

"If you saw the place, you’d think ‘Wow’.

“They’re definitely making a difference. For me, it’s about making a difference for Sharna and they definitely help to do that.”

Liz Chapman from Westbere said: “The pleasure belongs to all the Westbere volunteers, seeing Sharna’s smile while sailing. Also, seeing the joy it brings to Juliette, Sharna’s mum, is rewarding.

“This is our 20th year of Westbere Sailing Opportunities and the pure satisfaction of seeing all who come to the lake has made each session fun, fulfilling and rewarding.”

RYA Disability Development Officer Sarah Sibley added: “Westbere Sailing Opportunities is a fantastic site based on a lake near Canterbury, providing sailing opportunities for all levels of ability in a safe and welcoming environment.”

For more information about Westbere, visit wsosailing.org.