<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1777472177/wysiwyg/o0p8kxovrndnpm2shbuy.jpg" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; max-width: 100%; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1777472160/wysiwyg/x0ld6ohfqlgu4zklsbs4.jpg" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; max-width: 100%; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1777472140/wysiwyg/xqbkqunxniqowb0mh0rr.jpg" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; max-width: 100%; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1777472116/wysiwyg/qzsuuuthwmrhjrqa08so.jpg" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; max-width: 100%; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">Help Us Race to Raise the Roof at St Paul&rsquo;s, Jewellery Quarter&nbsp;Last year we stepped onto a yacht as complete sailing novices. One day on Sailing Spook in the Solent, one conversation with our Skipper Russ&hellip; and suddenly we&rsquo;d signed up for the world‑famous Round the Island Race on 11 July 2026.We&rsquo;re taking on this challenge to support a place we love: St Paul&rsquo;s Church in Birmingham&rsquo;s Jewellery Quarter. Its 250‑year‑old roof is failing, and without urgent replacement the damage will be devastating.St Paul&rsquo;s has stood at the heart of the JQ for nearly 250 years.The Raise the Roof campaign has already raised &pound;200,000 &mdash; but over &pound;600,000 is needed. Lottery and Heritage funding are expected, but we must close the gap.Our dream: to give St Paul&rsquo;s a 250th birthday present worthy of its history &mdash; a new roof.&nbsp;We&rsquo;ve been part of the volunteer fundraising team for over two years, running everything from concerts to raffles. Now we&rsquo;re taking on something bigger &mdash; 50 nautical miles of unpredictable seas.Jane &amp; David SECOND TRAINING WEEKEND 24-26 APRIL MUCH better weather for our second training weekend as we got more practice in for the Round the Island Race on 11 July. The sun shone out of a clear blue sky - the only challenge was that the winds were light whereas a sailing boat needs wind to make progress! Captain Russ decided that we were going to sail right round the Isle of Wight on Saturday so as to experience the actual race course. All the crew pitched in and we can now claim to have circumnavigated the island. That evening, we berthed in East Cowes, same as our first training weekend. Whereas last time we woke up to rain and a force 8 wind, this Sunday we had more of Saturday&#39;s conditions: sunshine, blue sky and a light wind. Captain Russ took a break and challenged his mostly raw recruits to sail the boat back to Lymington. We managed to do this! But we admit that Russ had to step in a couple of times to keep us on track and, well, safe! We are still determined to raise funds for the repair of our local church, St Paul&#39;s in the JQ.Jane and David PS. See the new photos we have uploaded. THIRD AND FINAL TRAINING WEEKEND 22-24 MAY 2026As we set off for Lymington on Friday morning the news was full of record-high temperatures for the weekend. Naturally, we packed lots of sunscreen as a result. Sure enough, we sailed in Saturday and Sunday under the fiercest, hottest sun of the year so far - well over 30 degrees. Conversely, winds were light, compelling Captain Russ more than once to turn on the boat&#39;s engine to give us more speed through the water (something we are not allowed to do during the race itself, of course. When we race in July, we will have to avoid colliding with around 1,500 boats in very confined straits of the Solent and English Channel. So much of our time was taken up with learning about other boats&#39; speeds and courses and figuring out which might become a hazard as our and their courses converge. It is not all hard work - there was time for relaxing in the sun (and in the little shade we had) and a dip in the sea. Our crew of seven also took all our meals together. We have a good feel of each others&#39; capabilities and camaraderie has developed very naturally. No more training weekends now. July will bring the REAL THING. We are very excited!<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1779810531/wysiwyg/q3nkpicdrd0chblkrfcn.jpg" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; max-width: 100%; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1779810553/wysiwyg/fq6ptg9ijmrhauh4ycww.jpg" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; max-width: 100%; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1779810431/wysiwyg/f1z8lsgxzxzikgfyjaup.jpg" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; max-width: 100%; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"> More pictures uploaded from the weekend&#39;s training.<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1779810308/wysiwyg/k9ltqmrwlpubgyhujerf.jpg" style="width: 447px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; max-width: 100%; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 447px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class=" fr-draggable">

Hello <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip" fr-original-style="" style="background-color: rgb(248, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255); border-radius: 4px; color: rgb(42, 42, 196); padding: 1px 8px; font-size: 11px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: anywhere; user-select: none; box-sizing: inherit;">First name, Thank you for supporting our cause. This donation greatly helps our mission. Your donation directly supports the Raise the Roof campaign. Nearer race day, you&rsquo;ll even be able to track our progress live around the Isle of Wight.&nbsp;Every pound gets us closer to saving this historic church &mdash; and you&rsquo;ll be with us for every wave, tack, and triumph. If you would like to contribute further to our cause, contact us to become a volunteer, or spread the word about our mission! Jane &amp; Davidkidneydavid@gmail.com

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1777472177/wysiwyg/o0p8kxovrndnpm2shbuy.jpg" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;position:relative;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" /><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1777472160/wysiwyg/x0ld6ohfqlgu4zklsbs4.jpg" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;position:relative;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" /><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1777472140/wysiwyg/xqbkqunxniqowb0mh0rr.jpg" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;position:relative;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" /><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1777472116/wysiwyg/qzsuuuthwmrhjrqa08so.jpg" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;position:relative;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" />Help Us Race to Raise the Roof at St Paul’s, Jewellery Quarter Last year we stepped onto a yacht as complete sailing novices. One day on Sailing Spook in the Solent, one conversation with our Skipper Russ… and suddenly we’d signed up for the world‑famous Round the Island Race on 11 July 2026.We’re taking on this challenge to support a place we love: St Paul’s Church in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. Its 250‑year‑old roof is failing, and without urgent replacement the damage will be devastating.St Paul’s has stood at the heart of the JQ for nearly 250 years.The Raise the Roof campaign has already raised £200,000 — but over £600,000 is needed. Lottery and Heritage funding are expected, but we must close the gap.Our dream: to give St Paul’s a 250th birthday present worthy of its history — a new roof. We’ve been part of the volunteer fundraising team for over two years, running everything from concerts to raffles. Now we’re taking on something bigger — 50 nautical miles of unpredictable seas.Jane &amp; David SECOND TRAINING WEEKEND 24-26 APRIL MUCH better weather for our second training weekend as we got more practice in for the Round the Island Race on 11 July. The sun shone out of a clear blue sky - the only challenge was that the winds were light whereas a sailing boat needs wind to make progress! Captain Russ decided that we were going to sail right round the Isle of Wight on Saturday so as to experience the actual race course. All the crew pitched in and we can now claim to have circumnavigated the island. That evening, we berthed in East Cowes, same as our first training weekend. Whereas last time we woke up to rain and a force 8 wind, this Sunday we had more of Saturday's conditions: sunshine, blue sky and a light wind. Captain Russ took a break and challenged his mostly raw recruits to sail the boat back to Lymington. We managed to do this! But we admit that Russ had to step in a couple of times to keep us on track and, well, safe! We are still determined to raise funds for the repair of our local church, St Paul's in the JQ.Jane and David PS. See the new photos we have uploaded. THIRD AND FINAL TRAINING WEEKEND 22-24 MAY 2026As we set off for Lymington on Friday morning the news was full of record-high temperatures for the weekend. Naturally, we packed lots of sunscreen as a result. Sure enough, we sailed in Saturday and Sunday under the fiercest, hottest sun of the year so far - well over 30 degrees. Conversely, winds were light, compelling Captain Russ more than once to turn on the boat's engine to give us more speed through the water (something we are not allowed to do during the race itself, of course. When we race in July, we will have to avoid colliding with around 1,500 boats in very confined straits of the Solent and English Channel. So much of our time was taken up with learning about other boats' speeds and courses and figuring out which might become a hazard as our and their courses converge. It is not all hard work - there was time for relaxing in the sun (and in the little shade we had) and a dip in the sea. Our crew of seven also took all our meals together. We have a good feel of each others' capabilities and camaraderie has developed very naturally. No more training weekends now. July will bring the REAL THING. We are very excited!<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1779810531/wysiwyg/q3nkpicdrd0chblkrfcn.jpg" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;position:relative;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" /><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1779810553/wysiwyg/fq6ptg9ijmrhauh4ycww.jpg" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;position:relative;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" /><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1779810431/wysiwyg/f1z8lsgxzxzikgfyjaup.jpg" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;position:relative;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" /> More pictures uploaded from the weekend's training.<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1779810308/wysiwyg/k9ltqmrwlpubgyhujerf.jpg" style="width:447px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;position:relative;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" />

The Society of Friends of St Pauls Church

 Sailing for St Paul’s. Racing for the JQ

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