The Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST) has expanded its fundraising efforts with an exciting new appointment.

Aurelija Meskaite has joined the global-sailing charity’s team as Trusts and Foundations Officer and will play an integral part in gathering vital funds for the JST.

Working remotely, Aurelija will spend her days researching and applying to charitable trusts to obtain funding for the JST and is looking forward to working with the inspiring sailing charity.

Having previously worked in a similar role within a cancer support charity and therefore brings with her a mountain of experience.

She said: “The JST’s mission is to offer people of mixed abilities the opportunity to explore their potential at sea, and this is something wonderful to be a part of.

“I have a real sense of adventure and to contribute to an organisation that is empowering people to make that adventure a reality, whatever their circumstances, is truly amazing.”

Working and living more than 80 miles away from JST’s head office in Southampton, Aurelija is benefitting from the sailing charity’s recent move to a virtual office, post-Covid.

She added: “The flexible working pattern really appealed to me. I can get my head down and focus on my work from home, but also know that I’ll be having regular meetings with the rest of the team to ensure I’m up to date with everything – it’s the perfect combination for me.”

Patrick Fleming, JST’s Chief Executive welcomes the new recruit and has said she’ll be a real asset to the team.

He said: “Like many other charities across the country, we have had to scale back our fundraising activities during the pandemic, so the work Aurelija will be doing for us is extremely important.

“I look forward to working with her and meeting her in person in the near future.”

Although not a sailor herself, Aurelija loves to travel in her spare time, and is looking forward to climbing aboard JST’s flagship Tenacious and learning all about the charity’s endeavours.

The JST offers people of all abilities the opportunity to climb aboard its tall ship Tenacious for an immersive sailing experience and relies on funding from the public. Since its founding in 1978 the Jubilee Sailing Trust has welcomed more than 50,000 people on board.

For more information about JST and its work, visit: https://jst.org.uk/