Brixham maritime heritage and sail training charity the Trinity Sailing Foundation is looking for someone with broad business experience to advise and mentor its small office team on a voluntary basis.
The charity’s Trustees are actively involved in overseeing it’s activities, but believe the staff would benefit from the active support, for between four and eight hours a week, of a person with a management background.
Trinity owns and operates three historic sailing vessels, built locally on the River Dart. It is responsible for their preservation and uses them to carry out sail training for young people, many of them disadvantaged, and for enabling members of the general public to learn about traditional sailing in a hands-on environment.
Each year Trinity takes several hundred young people to sea, teaching them a range of life skills, enabling to achieve in a challenging environment and motivating them to take positive action to improve their chances of success in adult life.
Some of the young people come from areas of deprivation, others from troubled family backgrounds. They may have emotional or behavioural problems, have been in care, had problems with drink or drugs, have conditions on the autistic spectrum or have special educational needs.
A spokesman for Trinity said: ”Whatever their problems, what we are able to offer can have a profound, and in some cases life-changing, effect. Almost without exception these young people are low achievers with a lack of belief in themselves and low expectations of adult life. At sea they discover they are capable of more than they would ever have thought possible, learn to work and live effectively with others as part of a team, and that creates positive and optimistic attitudes that can be the basis for ongoing progress.
“Someone with the right knowledge and experience could help the Trustees greatly in developing our young and dedicated team.”
Trinity’s vessels are two former Brixham sailing trawlers, “Leader” (built 1892) and “Provident” (1924) and the gaff cutter “Golden Vanity” (1908). All are part of the National Historic Fleet, the 200 vessels judged to be of pre-eminent significance in heritage terms.
Anyone who might be interested in helping can contact the Trustees through the Brixham office on 01803 883355 or at team@trinitysailing.org