© 2009 Sue Hines

Wherry Yacht Charter Charitable Trust takes care of the only surviving fleet of Norfolk wherries - Hathor, Olive and Norada - and is the successor to the non-profit Wherry Yacht Charter. You can read more about our wherries' history and current status here.

The Trust was established in 2002 to secure the future of the wherries and allow access to a wider range of funding opportunities. Its aims are to restore, maintain and preserve Hathor, Olive and Norada for public benefit, to foster skills related to these activities, and enable education on wherries' important historic and cultural importance in the Broads. WYCCT's Patrons are The Rt Revd Graham James, Bishop of Norwich, and the architect and conservationist Roger de Freitas.

The three wherries were purchased in 2004, following an award of £492,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) towards their purchase and restoration. In 2010 the HLF awarded a further £148,000 - however the entire award requires match funding at a ratio of approximately 2:1, that is, for every £2 raised and spent we can claim £1 from the HLF money. The Trustees' are responsible for the overall strategy of the project; their work currently concentrates on the administration of the HLF award, and planning the restoration of the base and Norada, with Olive and Hathor as medium term projects. The eventual aim is that the Trust will finance itself as far as possible from charter income and public sailings alongside donations and such grants as may be available.

More information on our Trustees and their roles can be found here, along with details of Trustee vacancies. Supporting the work of the Trust is the Friends group, membership of which is available by yearly subscription. To join, donate or find information on Friends events and fundraising activities please visit our Friends section.

WYCCT is a registered company (no. 4552637) limited by guarantee (with the Trustees as the directors) and makes audited accounts available each year (see the Charity Commission page for WYCCT).