28 August 2020
Shoreham Port have strengthened their partnership with local 3rd/5th Lancing Sea Scouts this month by announcing their commitment to making an annual donation to the group for the next 3 years. The charity will also be mooring their recently refurbished training vessel Supeta within the canal and plan to use the Port’s donation towards costs of maintaining the yacht.
As a Trust Port, Shoreham Port partners with charities and groups to support local causes that align with the values of its Community and Stakeholder Requests (CSR) group. Being a marine-based charity that supports local children, Lancing Sea Scouts is a cause that is close to the heart of the community-focused aims of the Port and the Port also contributed towards life jackets for use on the vessel last year to keep those on board safe.
The Lancing Sea Scout Group is based close to the River Adur in North Lancing and enables young people to learn nautical and maritime safety skills in a range of craft. Many Sea Scouts who learn to sail with them go on to have a career in the marine sector.
Lancing Sea Scouts’ 45ft training yacht Supeta is the only charity/ volunteer based yacht of its kind based on the south coast and will provide a fantastic opportunity for young people from a variety of backgrounds to enjoy the adventure of going to sea. The Yacht was very kindly donated to the Lancing Sea Scouts over two years ago by a local resident, Janet Mockridge after her husband and son, both named Peter sadly passed away - with the ‘peta’ in Supeta a tribute to her loved ones. Since this time, the vessel has undergone significant refurbishment by volunteers and members of the Scout group of all ages.
Education, support, and physical and mental wellbeing is centred at the core of the Supeta project, and the vessel has been completely refurbished and adapted to allow children of all ages and physical abilities to come aboard and enjoy the pleasure of sailing. The Lancing Sea Scouts plan to sail along the south coast and possibly to France, giving its young crew the experience voyages to other places.
The Sea Scouts group plan to hold an official launch of the vessel with a special guest once such events are permitted, and the yacht has now taken up its new mooring in Shoreham Port’s canal.
Tom Smith, Assistant Scout Leader 3rd/ 5th Lancing Sea Scouts commented “The contribution kindly granted by Shoreham Port is incredibly important to both the daily operations of the Sail Training Yacht and the actual cost in running it. This yacht is a local vessel primarily intended for young people of the area regardless of background, health and abilities, and consequently it is very important to keep her in Shoreham Harbour.
Tom Continued “The Port’s contribution has meant that Supeta can be berthed behind the lock gates and have access to the sea 24 hours a day. This will allow maximum use and keep running costs reduced so will not need to have constant concerns over how much is needed to be raised. The Scout Group is indebted to Shoreham Port for both giving the contribution and finding such an excellent berth.”
Julian Seaman, Harbour Master and Director of Marine Operations at Shoreham Port commented “I am thrilled that we are able to support Lancing Sea Scouts with this CSR donation, which will help them gain a range of invaluable life-long maritime skills, including learning how to stay safe on the water. We wish Supeta a very warm welcome to her new home at Shoreham Port, and we look forward to attending the official launch, hopefully later in the year.”
Category: Community
