Marketing Stockport member Life Leisure’s David Hopkins Foundation awarded the Tall Ships Youth Trust a donation to help support two young people from Stockport.
Danny aged 14 and Anthony aged 16, who both experienced a voyage on board as part of the crew, sailed out of their comfort zone into a challenging environment where they experienced working as a team, gaining new skills and building on their self-esteem and confidence.
The Tall Ships Youth Trust is a registered charity which is dedicated to the personal development of young people through the crewing of ocean going sail training vessels. Anthony and Danny were aboard a 16 metre Ketch called Tenacity of Bolton, which operates out of the North West from Whitehaven.
The two gained much praise from the watch leader of the crew, who said: “Anthony threw himself into all aspects of the voyage, he worked really well in a team and really got stuck in. Danny is a good influence on the other team members in a positive and calming way, he made a positive contribution to the good running of the vessel”.
Anthony added about his experience, “I have made a lot of friends and have learnt a lot of skills, not only about how the boat works, but about myself. I have achieved a lot and I would recommend this to other young people.”
Tall Ships Youth Trust chief executive Christine Law commented, “We are very grateful to Life Leisure and the David Hopkins Foundation for making such a generous contribution, we were delighted to be able to support Anthony and Danny. We know they will have gained a lot from their experience with us and hope they will continue to benefit from all their new life skills.”
Mandy Waller, Business Relations Manager at Life Leisure and spokesperson for the David Hopkins Foundation commented, “We were delighted to provide funding for such a great project, it is so important to encourage young people to take part and be active. The Tall Ships Trust aims to increase participants self -esteem and confidence, to promote healthier more active lifestyles and to improve their life skills and citizenship, all of which we are passionate about at Life Leisure. It is so important to give young people a chance to explore their true potential and explore physical and mental challenges. ”
She continued, “The Foundation is all about supporting local people and organisations with sport and physical activity. We know how important it is and we are happy to provide the financial funding they need to help them achieve their goals. We urge local people, groups and organisations to contact us; we are ready and waiting with funding available now for the right applicants.”
The Foundation accepts applications by individuals living in Stockport or registered charities or clubs that are based in the Stockport Borough for amounts up to £500 for individuals and £1,000 for clubs.
The grant application form is easy to complete and if you would like to apply for funding for your activity or project from the David Hopkins Foundation please visit www.lifeleisure.net/enterprise/charity
Photo Caption: Photo 1 Danny (L) and Anthony on the deck of Tenacity of Bolton