A sailing charity for injured veterans has been given a boost after reaching the halfway mark of its campaign to buy a new training boat.
Turn to Starboard is saying a huge thank you to all its fundraisers, supporters and volunteers for raising more than £50,000 of the £100,000 needed to purchase an additional training boat to help veterans affected by military operations and their families.
Turn to Starboard CEO and founder Shaun Pascoe, who set up the charity in Falmouth four years ago, said: “The level of support towards our Float-A-Boat campaign from our supporters and the public has been amazing and I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has helped us to reach this significant milestone.
“With demand for our service exceeding capacity, we need an additional training boat to help more veterans gain new skills and qualifications which will help them long into the future.
“Every penny raised will help us to support servicemen and women suffering from physical or mental injuries, so please don’t stop now and help us to reach our target by the end of the year!”
The campaign has received a wealth of support from grant making trusts, corporate partners and individual donors such as The Clothworkers’ Foundation, The Rotary Club of St Columb, Mid West Yorkshire Caravan Club and The Norman Family Charitable Trust, among many others.
Earlier this year a team of brave volunteers climbed into two inflatable life rafts for a sponsored 24-Hour Life Raft Survival Challenge and raised more than £4000 towards the campaign. Falklands veteran Andrew Smith ran the gruelling London Marathon to raise £3,358 and former surgeon Trevor Crofts fundraised £7241 while trekking 710 kilometres across Spain.
Turn to Starboard currently operates a Bavaria 32-foot training yacht from its base at Falmouth Marina in Cornwall, along with a 92-foot Pilot Schooner gifted by The Princess Trust. The charity also offers training on board a Swan 43, a classic cruising yacht on long-term loan to the charity by a generous supporter.
In July this year the charity launched a competitive racing division at Gosport near Portsmouth to serve as a gateway to future opportunities in the sport, and more than 50 injured veterans took to the water to compete at a special 3-day regatta held at Gosport led by professional skippers on eight racing yachts to compete in three races around the Solent.
In partnership with Help for Heroes and The Endeavour Fund, the event was organised by Turn to Starboard; many of those taking part in the sailing event had barely set foot on a yacht, yet made the decision to brave the waves and learn new skills.
Beneficiary Lt Cdr Jay Saunders said: “A couple of weeks ago I was hiding in my bed, but this regatta had me up and chasing a win I would never have dreamed of. Thanks to Turn to Starboard I discovered that my PTSD can’t take control of me when I’m sailing and the racing element has enabled me to turn my anxiety into adrenaline, and of the good sort. I found my competitive nature returning and I needed to get to the front of the fleet. I’m so thankful that Turn to Starboard has helped me find a part of myself that I thought that I had lost.”
Supporters can get involved with the Float-A-Boat campaign by texting TURN25 £10 to 70007 to make a £10 donation. Other donation amounts are £1, £2, £5 or £10 and a standard message rate will also apply (e.g. TURN25 £5).
For more information about the charity call 01326 314262 or visit turntostarboard.co.uk.
Image: ‘Bluster’ – a Bavaria 32 training yacht used by the charity