Trust's donation of a boat thrills Llangollen sailor Ellis Richards

A LLANGOLLEN pupil who has dedicated himself to sailing over the past three years has been rewarded with a brand new boat. Ellis Richards, a Year 9 student at Ysgol Dinas Brân, received the shiny new Laser 4.7 sailing boat from John Merrick's Sailing Trust. He has worked hard over the past three years with his hobby of dinghy sailing, now has the feel for racing and competing within the sport. Ellis made an application to the John Merricks Sailing Trust (JMST) asking them to support him in his desire to race. After long days of waiting to find out if he was successful, Ellis received an email of congratulations that he was the JMST 2020 lucky winner of the boat. John Merricks was born on February 16, 1971 in Leicester and went on to become one of the world's top international sailors. John lost his life in Italy more than 20 years ago in a road accident. The John Merricks Sailing Trust has been in operation for 21-years and has helped many young sailors and youth sailing organisations to achieve their goals. The charitable trust was set up by those closest to John to do some good in his name and further his memory. Ellis said: "Wow! This fantastic opportunity has become surreal, being a winner of Laser 4.7 from the John Merrick Sailing Trust Charity has left me overwhelmed. "I am so lucky, and am excited and intrigued to see what the future will hold for me in the big world of sailing. "This is going to be life changing for me and I am truly grateful, I would like to say a big thank you to every one involved from the JMST and RYA onboard, this is amazing and I can’t wait to be working with you." Ellis now has his sights set on the national competitions 2022.