Sail Training Shetland completes most successful year 2023 Report

 

At its recent annual general meeting, the volunteer board of trustees of the Sail Training Shetland charity

reflected on the positive season.

Outgoing chairman Peter Campbell, said “We’ve been operating formally as a charity since 2009 and this has been by far the biggest scheme we have done.

“With Lerwick being a Tall Ships Races host port, the opportunity for young people to participate and challenge themselves through taking part in the sail training experience has been tremendous and very rewarding to witness.

“I am delighted that so many past sail trainees have joined our board of trustees, all their voluntary input has made this ambitious season possible. Other volunteers helped with everything from fundraising to travel bookings and our committee took on a variety of roles to finance, recruit, engage with vessels, kit out and mentor the trainee placements.

“We look forward to 2024 when we will continue with a return to our normal annual scheme and a continuation of opportunities for young people.”

“We also work closely with The Swan Trust, including the Swan providing taster days for the scheme applicants, and placements during the Tall Ships Races. This year, the Swan crew of Maggie Adamson, Scott Sandison and Anya Kurtz, who are all past sail trainees, provided such a positive experience for the new trainees.

“Also for this season, we partnered with other Scottish ports – Stornoway, Ullapool, Scrabster, Aberdeen, Montrose and Orkney – who recruited and funded trainees for placement through us. There is no other organisation that provides what we do and we are delighted that they too have seen the benefits for their young people.

“For 2024, we will start again in the spring with a launch of our next annual programme for the 15-25 years age group.”

Nicola Innes, Developing the Young Workforce North Highland Lead said: “We are delighted to have had the opportunity to support Sail Training Shetland’s scheme through sponsoring some of our young people in Caithness & Sutherland. This fantastic experience has offered them the opportunity to uncover hidden strengths and talents, build new friendships whilst increasing self-confidence, and we hope to continue offering sponsorships in future years”.

If you are interested in finding out more about Sail Training Shetland, please visit :-

 www.sailtrainingshetland.com