A CHARITY which provides opportunities for disabled people to enjoy Poole Harbour is looking to upgrade its equipment.
Dolphin is a specially designed catamaran which can take up to 12 disabled people and their carers on trips around Poole Harbour and up to the River Frome and Wareham for free.
This is a service that the charity behind Dolphin, Friends of Dolphin, says passengers would struggle to find elsewhere.
However, the Friends say their 20-year-old catamaran now needs replacing, and it is appealing for people to donate or fundraise to enable the charity to keep providing this important service.
A trustee of The Friends, Robert Irwin, said: “Dolphin III is a 10-metre catamaran built by Cheetah Marine on the Isle of Wight to our specifications.
“She is now nearly 20 years old and showing her age.”
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He added: “The trustees took the decision in October 2023 to purchase a new Dolphin, with fundraising over the next two years to raise in the region of £150,000; this will be match funded by funds that we already have.
“We have put in place an appeal and are looking for any help that could come our way, not only for funds but also in fundraising.”
The Friends are hoping to have a new Dolphin in place for 2026/2027.
Dolphin’s invaluable work saw it awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2017, and it has taken roughly 60,000 passengers on trips around Poole Harbour since its inception in 1980.
Its operating season is between May 1 and September 30, and all money raised, by fundraising and donation, goes directly towards the running and upkeep of Dolphin.
The Friends of Dolphin have been in Poole Harbour since it was launched in 1980.
Originally, it was a project by Parkstone Rotary Club in 1979 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of International Rotary, becoming a charity in 1982.
It is run by trustees with an operating committee to oversee the day-to-day running of Dolphin together with a separate fundraising committee.
Everyone in the charity are unpaid volunteers.
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