Maritime UK Solent Awards guests raising money for Wetwheels Foundation

Donations from guests at the Maritime UK Solent Awards 2022 on 14 October, have raised more than £1000 for Wetwheels Foundation charity.

Wetwheels was set up to ensure that everyone can access the water with a safe barrier-free, enriching experience, and was the official charity partner of the inaugural Maritime UK Solent Awards. The Awards held at the Leonardo Royal Hotel in Southampton at the end of Maritime UK Week celebrated the very best of the Solent’s maritime cluster.

Founder of the charity, Geoff Holt MBE, DL gave the 250 guests an inspiring talk about the ground-breaking work the organisations has been carrying out for the last 12 years providing disabled and disadvantaged people of all ages with access to the water.

With an ambition of supporting 12,000 people every year, the money raised from the evening will enable the Wetwheels team to take up to 40 disabled people and their families out onto the water in 2023.

Geoff Holt MBE, Founder of Wetwheels, said: “We’re incredibly grateful for the Maritime UK Solent team for their support with amplifying our message on such a prestigious stage. We know that this money will contribute hugely to enriching the lives of the children and adults we work with."

Graham Barnetson, Vice-Chair of Maritime UK Solent, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Geoff and the team to the Awards event. It was a fantastic evening celebrating the continued success of our world-class maritime sector, and inspiring to hear from Geoff about the incredible work of the Wetwheels team in the Solent region, helping people who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the joy of being out on the water.”