Chance of a Lifetime Venture (COLV) Registered Charity 1110789

This project was started in 1997 when Police Officers on the Wirral wished to address the fact that whilst there were many remedial programmes available for young people who had been in trouble with the Police, such as holidays and adventure trips, there were no rewards for those young people who had never been in trouble yet had worked hard in the community or had overcome personal adverse conditions.

As a result volunteers amongst us, through the assistance and help of many individuals and organisations, set about raising the funding required to charter a sailing ship and selecting a crew so that deserving young people from the Wirral could be rewarded for being 'good citizens’.

This reward is not a holiday, those selected soon realise that it is hard work but it has the benefits of developing their self confidence and self esteem and it gives them skills that will benefit the community as well as themselves. They learn to work as a team with strangers and to confront and overcome hardship, they have to show and accept responsibility.

So far, since 1997 we have raised over £400,000, dealt with over 800 applications and taken over 400 deserving young people (aged between 16 and 24 years) sailing. This project is well known within the schools and youth organisations and it is popular as we are being seen to reward good citizenship and community involvement.

Each crew member through their efforts can end up with the Royal Yacht Association’s Competent Crew Certificate, a Small Craft Certificate in First Aid, a Basic Padi Certificate in Scuba Diving and counts as the residential part of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award. Not a bad start to a young person’s C.V. As Police Officers go with them as volunteer crew they also see the Police in a different light through working alongside them on the voyage.

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