Travis Perkins funded Portsmouth Sailing Project now underway

NORTHAMPTON, 27-7-2015 — /EuropaWire/ — The grey clouds may have loomed, but nothing was going to prevent the very first group of young people taking part in the Portsmouth Sailing Project from enjoying every second of their sailing adventure.

Thanks to funding from Travis Perkins plc, the summer-long programme is now underway. First out on the water was a group of young people from Motiv8, a local youth charity. The Young People came from seven different schools from across the city and all attend You Choose, a service delivered by Motiv8 and Pompey in the Community, providing free positive activities across Portsmouth.

Travis Perkins plc are supporting the project as part of their Official partnership with the America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth, which also sees them providing access ramps and viewing platforms on the site for disabled visitors.

The Project, which has brought together the 1851 Trust and the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation, will give children throughout the city and surrounding area the chance to experience sailing on the same stretch of water as the world-class teams battling it out in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series event later this week. Best of all, each 3 hour session is entirely free.

Jonathon McCabe, Portsmouth Service Manager for Motiv8 commented: “Most of the young people we brought along had never sailed before, and some were really nervous at the start. It was fantastic to see just how much they had enjoyed themselves and grown in confidence by the end. We look forward to working in partnership with the 1851 Trust in the future, providing life chances for young people.”

John Carter, CEO of Travis Perkins plc, commented: “Travis Perkins plc is excited to be supporting the 1851 Trust’s Portsmouth Sailing project, which will enable up to 1,000 young people from diverse backgrounds to take part in amazing sailing experiences. The programme is designed to inspire, build confidence and develop new skills and complements our ‘building better, together’ ethos perfectly.”

The group set sail from the Camber, just a few metres away from the venue of the America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth which begins tomorrow.

The novice sailors practised hoisting the jib and with their expert instructors and took it turns to helm as some of the world’s best sailors put in last minute training all around them. Watch a video of the sailing experience here.

Dennis Oppong (age 13), one of the young sailors said: “It was a really fun day. I’d definitely like to do again.”

Places on the programme are filling fast, but there’s still time to enrol. Parents and guardians of children aged 9 – 13 from Portsmouth and the surrounding area can book sessions on line at www.portsmouthsailingproject.org

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