William Noel Bursary
Dr William G Noel (1965 – 2024)
Will’s love of sailing started in the Walton Backwaters. W&FYC was the place where he learnt to sail, made lifelong friends and spent some of the happiest days of his childhood.
William (or Will as he was known) spent his formative years at Hill House in Kirby le Soken. Will was a cadet, along with his siblings Rob and Emma. Their parents, Henry and Liz, were also active club members.
Will was never happier than when sailing and mudlarking in dinghies, especially his Topper.
Cadet Week and Club Day were always memorable with Will around; not for his winning, but for his zest for life. He also sailed on many voyages with other club families - the Beales, Flemings and Aitchisons. He maintained a lifelong love of sailing.
As an adult, Will excelled. After studying at the University of Cambridge, he became a recognised authority on medieval manuscripts. He is most closely associated with the Archimedes Palimpsest Project. He was also a leading figure in making vast amounts of information, imagery and data accessible to the public for free. He held positions at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Walters Art Museum and Princeton University. From the 1990s, Will lived in the USA and was married with a son.
On a business trip to Edinburgh in April 2024, Will was hit by a vehicle that mounted the pavement where he was walking. He tragically died of his injuries.
During Dinghy Week in 2024, many of Will’s old friends were lamenting his loss and thought it would be a good idea to have a memorial at the club in his memory.
The Will Noel Bursary Fund has been contributed to by his family and friends, to enable more young people to access sailing through the W&FYC RYA Training Centre.
The aim is to spark an interest in sailing in young people who would not usually have the opportunity. Hopefully more youngsters can be welcomed into the community of W&FYC and not only learn to sail but create happy memories and develop lifelong friendships.
How to apply
To apply for funding for your child’s sailing course, please download and complete this application form.
Children between the ages of 6 and 16 are eligible.
When choosing a course, if your child has never sailed before, you will be looking for a Stage 1 course; visit this webpage for information and dates. For all other courses please have a look at this webpage. If you are just after a taster sailing session to begin with, then the RYA onboards are a good option.
If you need assistance with completing the form, please contact heidi@wfyc.co.uk
Email the completed form to heidi@wfyc.co.uk. If you do not receive an acknowledgement within 7 working days, please contact the Club Office on office@wfyc.co.uk or 07803 098601.
Your application will be made anonymous and passed to representatives for the family, who will decide whether the funding application is successful. If you are successful, you will be issued with a discount code to use at online check-out.
The Will Noel Bursary Fund is a limited amount of money. However, further donations are always welcome. Please contact office@wfyc.co.uk if you wish to contribute.