2,395 activity days sounds like a big number. But we don’t want you to remember the number. We want you to understand what it represents.
It represents people getting outdoors, learning new skills, taking on challenges, gaining qualifications and having opportunities to experience something different.
For some, that meant learning to sail. For others, it was several days of outdoor adventure or a week away on residential camp. And for more than 120 young people, it meant being able to take part in a five-day experience because funding made it possible.
That is the bigger story of summer 2026 at CACT.
Nearly 900 participant and trainee places were filled over the summer, adding up to more than 2,395 participant activity days.
We are proud of those figures. But as an independent charity and not-for-profit organisation, being busy is not the end goal. What matters is what those opportunities make possible, and who gets the chance to access them.
172 sailing places.
But the real story is progression.
This summer, we delivered 172 sailing course places, from RYA Stage 1 through to five-day beginner and improver courses.
Alongside them came 416 hours of private sailing tuition.
The hours themselves are not really the point. What matters is what happened during them: individual support, encouragement, practice and the chance for someone to realise they could do something that once felt out of reach.
We also trained six new Dinghy Instructors.
Six may be one of the smaller numbers in our summer statistics, but its impact could be one of the longest lasting. Each new instructor can now take those skills forward and help many more people discover sailing. One opportunity creates another.
388 multi-activity places. 388 chances to try something
different.
Away from sailing, we provided 388 multi-activity places, ranging from one-day adventures to three and five-day experiences.
A further 43 young people joined us for week-long residential camps.
Of course, there are activities, challenges and plenty of fun. But there is something else happening too.
People are working together. Solving problems. Dealing with things that do not go right first time. Encouraging each other. Finding out that they can do more than they expected.
For schools, teachers, youth organisations and the groups we work with, that is an important part of what outdoor learning can offer. Not every important lesson happens in a classroom.
600 funded days. The number that matters most.
There is one figure from this summer that we are particularly proud of.
More than 120 young people accessed a funded five-day opportunity at CACT.
That represents more than 600 days of funded activity.
Those 600 days matter because they are opportunities that may not otherwise have been possible.
We believe financial circumstances should not decide whether a young person gets to
experience the outdoors, learn new skills, make friends, build confidence and enjoy the sense of achievement that comes from taking on a challenge.
We also welcomed more than 160 young people through youth groups and partner
organisations, helping us reach people who might not otherwise access sailing and outdoor learning.
For us, impact is not just about creating great experiences for the people already able to access them. It is also about asking: who else could benefit?
The activities are what you see. The impact is why we are
here.
It would be easy to look at CACT and see sailing courses, residentials, outdoor activities and groups having a brilliant time by Chichester Harbour. And all of that is true.
But CACT is an independent charity and not-for-profit organisation.
We use sailing, outdoor learning and adventure to create opportunities for people to learn, build skills, develop confidence, work with others and discover what they are capable of.
Donors, funders, volunteers, partner organisations and supporters help us take that further –widening access and creating opportunities for people who might otherwise miss out.
So yes, nearly 900 places and more than 2,395 activity days made this an extraordinary
summer.
But the most important story is not how much we did. It’s what happened because we were able to do it.
The numbers tell us we were busy. The impact tells us why it mattered.
Help us make more of that possible
