The Gwennili Sailing Trust, led by veteran Army officer John Thornton, based in Gosport, hosted a day on the sea for us on Wednesday this week.
Our dynamic Boots on the Ground manager Karen, herself an Army veteran who saw operational tours overseas, led a team of veterans and a couple of residents from our Young People service, on a trip from Gosport marina on the Spirit of Scott Bader, a custom built catamaran. The Trust is dedicated to making sailing fun and accessible to all, no matter how disabled, physically, mentally or visually, and the trips are a great way of building teamwork, self esteem and confidence from the interaction and teamwork on board.
One of the participants, John, summed it up by saying
“It was a bit of an experience, it was fun. Refreshing not to have to worry about anything.”
Future plans include future regular trips and the opportunity to take part in week long expeditions in the Spring as well as day skipper and competent crew sailing qualifications. We’re certainly looking forward to getting out on the waves more often.
Huge thank you to John and the team from The Gwennili Trust in providing these fantastic opportunities for our veterans and Young People.
