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Saturday, 27 August 2011
Seven boys and girls, aged 15-21, from Bolton Lads and Girls
Club Transition Project, supported by Steve Nethercott, Transitions
Officer, have helped sail Tenacity of Bolton, the boat built by
Bolton School pupils, back to its home port of Glasson Dock near
Lancaster. The group joined the permanent boat crew members on
Saturday 20 August at Milford Haven and, over the course of a week,
learnt the fundamentals of life at sea as they sailed the boat back
to Lancashire, reaching port on Saturday 27 August.
Kayleigh McLaughlin, aged 16, said "It was amazing. I loved the
sailing and anchoring but also the other new experiences like
gutting a fish! I can't believe that I learnt to drive a 25 tonne
boat - but more than that I learnt about myself, how to try new
things and not to be scared to give things a go. It's really
motivated me to do more and I want to complete my Duke of Edinburgh
now!"
Steve Nethercott said, "It was amazing to watch how each
individual young person began to grow through challenging
themselves and gaining confidence in the team. The expert crew
really supported young people to develop their sailing skills and
push themselves both physically and mentally. It was an experience
that none of us will ever forget."
Skipper Colin Wright said: "I was delighted to have the Lads and
Girls' Club on board for the final leg of Tenacity's journey. The
School collaborates with the club on many levels and this project
really stretched those taking part, helping develop their team
working and leadership skills. Whilst sailing is thrilling it is
also hard work and this was a good length voyage that required
commitment and perseverance from the boys and girls on board to
achieve the final destination safely and successfully. At times we
had to sail into the night to make best use of the tides and
weather. The crew was expected to be actively involved in all
aspects of life on board, including catering and cleaning,
throughout the duration of the voyage. Many people that sail on the
boat find it a life-changing experience."
The 60 foot yacht set sail from Glasson on 8 July on its round
UK adventure and in a number of stages has been crewed by a variety
of groups including Old Boys and friends of the School, pupils
undertaking their Gold Duke of Edinburgh award expedition from both
Bolton School and also St Paul's School London, members of the
Manchester Cruising Association and other UK sailing clubs as well
as the members of the Bolton Lads and Girls Club.
The Transitions Project is funded by the Department for
Education and works with young people aged 13 - 19
years (up to 25 years with disabled young people) providing
intensive individual and group work supporting young people to
build confidence and develop skills through youth development and
activity programmes.
Patterdale Hall, which manages the Tenacity of Bolton project,
is Bolton School's outdoor pursuits centre. Over the summer it also
hosted the Lads and Girls Club for several weeks as part of its
participation in the National Citizenship Service Scheme. The
centre staff provided residential team building activities and
helped develop the group members into effective teams, ready to
return to Bolton and spend a further two weeks of the programme
planning and then delivering a community project.
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