WE’RE absolutely delighted that we reached our target of raising £8,440 for our #ChampionsforChildren Voyages of Recovery campaign in partnership with The Childhood Trust.

Thanks to the generous support of our pledgers and donors, 10 disadvantaged young people from London will now have the opportunity to experience a transformational four-night voyage with Tall Ships Youth Trust.

The aim of these voyages is to help them recover from the adverse impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. This group of vulnerable young people are among so many who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, often saying they felt “left out”, “anxious”, “stressed” and “sad”.

Our voyages will give them the chance to develop essential life skills such confidence, self-worth and social skills, empowering them to ‘sea beyond their horizon’ and reach their true life potential.

Here are some of the findings reported by The Childhood Trust from research conducted with charities and families in these groups:

• 1 in 3 children living in poverty in London are experiencing post-lockdown mental health issues (twice the national average)
• 75% of charity respondents reported that their children are still experiencing food insecurity, even though children have returned to school
• 82% of charity respondents reported that their beneficiaries were experiencing serious mental health issues as a direct result of lockdown measures. Heightened anxiety (88%) and depression (79%) were the most common mental health symptoms experienced by disadvantaged children and young people

We would not be able to help these young people without your support.

Thank you!