A group of boys from a Deptford secondary school have benefited from a residential voyage with Tall Ships Youth Trust — a charity that provides young people with unique and challenging experiences at sea – thanks to funding from wealth management firm, Saltus.
The 11 boys from Addey and Stanhope School returned from their five-fay voyage of the Solent and South Coast on 20 May. Throughout the week they got involved in all aspects of sailing and crewing the boat from steering to food preparation, maintenance and cleaning. TSYT’s professional crew support the young people to increase their practical life skills as well as develop their personal and social skills.
Voyager, Alvin Arthur (14), said: “I enjoyed the sight-seeing and sailing at night, which was very pretty. I’ve learnt to always have integrity and to never go back on my word. I’ve also learnt to have self-restraint and to step back from situations. I’d rate my experience a nine out of 10 but only because I got seasick.”
Addey and Stanhope’s assistant headteacher, Tyrone Sinclair, who travelled with the boys, added: “We’re very grateful to Tall Ships Youth Trust and our sponsors at Saltus for this wonderful opportunity. We had a great week and learnt a lot about our strengths and how important it is to act with integrity, which is one of our school values.”
Saltus, chose to support TSYT as its local charity after first meeting with a different group of boys from the school last summer. Employees have since raised more than £15,000 to fund this voyage and provide additional support for the charity’s youth development work.
Dan Underwood, Partner at Saltus, said: “We’ve enjoyed taking part in different activities to raise money to support this voyage and we hoping to carry on and support further voyages over the next couple of years.
“It was great to meet this group fresh back from their adventure and so full of enthusiasm for what they’ve learnt. We’re delighted they’ve had a great experience and once again we’re all super impressed by the young people from Addey and Stanhope School.”
TSYT is the UK’s oldest and largest youth development sail training charity based in Portsmouth. The charity has a particular focus on working with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and has been providing young people aged 12-25 from across the UK, with life-changing experiences at sea for 65 years. The charity operates a fleet of four 72ft Challengers that are famous for having raced twice round the world, as part of the Global Challenge races.
James Hudson, TSYT Director of Fundraising and Marketing said: “We’re thrilled to be working in partnership with Saltus to enable another group of boys from Addey and Stanhope School onboard one of our life-changing youth development voyages.
“Throughout the week the boys worked together and got involved in all aspects of sailing one of our iconic 72ft Challenger yachts. The experience helped them to develop communication, teamwork and critical thinking skills. Thank you to the Saltus team for their excellent fundraising efforts and for making this voyage possible.”
