West Oxfordshire may be many miles from the nearest coastline but that does not prevent members of West Oxfordshire Sailing Club taking to the water.

At the weekend members hosted a family weekend including a regatta to let people know what facilities they have at the club.

Youngsters take to the water

The club was founded in 1962 and now owns two lakes - flooded gravel pits - just off the A415 between Witney and Standlake in an area of lakes fed from the River Windrush.

It caters for sailors of all abilities with RYA recognised training courses run twice a year for complete beginners and has a fleet of Toppers that are used for junior training sessions on Sunday mornings during the summer.

The club's membership secretary John Ward said: "Skills learnt at the club have born fruit and the club can claim several class champions among its present and past membership.

"The boats most commonly sailed at the club are Lasers, Supernovas, Lightnings, Wayfarers, Enterprises, Toppers and OK's.

"There are currently more than 30 different types of dinghy berthed at the club."

Races are organised on Sundays and Wednesday evenings during the summer and special events include an eight-hour race during the summer with compulsory crew changes. Sailors even take to the water on Boxing Day for a race.

Any one interested in joining the club is invited along on Sundays to see the boats and their crew in action.