Sailing charity aims to raise £1.5m to help pandemic-affected young people

 THE UK’s largest youth development sail training charity has launched an appeal to raise at least £1.5million to buy an additional large sailing yacht to help hundreds more young people a year with a ‘life-changing’ voyage.

Tall Ships Youth Trust (TSYT) currently has a fleet of four 72ft Challenger yachts and a 55ft ketch, which enables the charity to take 1,000 young people to sea every yea

Its new LifeChanger Appeal aims to raise the money to buy and refit an additional 70-80ft sized vessel (10-12 berth), increasing its sea-going capacity by approximately 250 young people a year.

Funds will also cover three-years’ running costs, including bursaries for 750 young people to go on a voyage.

The Trust, which works with young people aged 12-25, has a particular focus on supporting those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with 75 per cent of its beneficiaries coming from this cohort.