Alan Priddy and the team behind Around and Around have been granted full charitable status by the Charity Commission.

Around and Around follows on from the success of the Raymarine Lively Lady Project, taking the many achievements of that project forward into a new organisation. The Young Adults who graduated from the Raymarine Lively Lady Project are now responsible for driving the project forward, under the guidance of the original team of adult co-skippers. Together they aim to make a difference in the lives of Young Adults from along the south coast and to show them that opportunities in life need not be limited by past experiences.

Achieving charitable status is a major step forward for the project as it recognises the success of what has gone before and validates the work they are doing with young adults from the local area. It also means any money raised can go that little bit further as, provided supporters complete Gift Aid forms, the charity can also claim tax back on the money they raise.

Alan Priddy said,
“The road to obtaining full charitable status for Around and Around has been long and hard but I fully understand how necessary it is for the Charity Commission to make sure we have all the right structures in place and that we meet all their criteria. Now Around and Around has become a recognised Charity it gives the project a whole new impetus as we continue working with Young Adults from this area to build their skills for life and move forward with our aim to sail around the world again at the earliest opportunity.”.

Lauren Harris, 19, one of the original Young Adults who now runs Around and Around’s Young Adult programme said,
“The HMRC allows Gift Aid to be applied not only to any money given in the future but also to any money donated to a charity within the last six years. Now, obviously, Around and Around was only started in 2008. However we would like to encourage anybody who has been kind enough to support us since then to fill out and send back one of the Gift Aid forms that can be downloaded from our website. By doing this we will be able to reclaim 25p in tax on every £1 that you originally donated!”.

Please go to www.aroundandaround.org to find out more.