West Wales Grant To Tall Ships Trust

In May 2024 WWFMs agreed a charitable donation of £2,500 to be made to the Tall Ships (Wales) Trust in support of its aim to provide local youths with the opportunity to go to sea on a classic Tall Ship.  Such unique activity is used to provide positive and motivating individual and team experiences for youths of all ages.

In the case of the sailing opportunity made possible by the WWFM donation, this was to provide a ‘Care Leavers’ 5-day trip aboard Queen Galadriel, a vessel run by the Cirdan Trust, the trip took place between September 1st to 5th 2025.

Tall Ships (Wales) Trust have chartered vessels to visit Pembroke Dock, the home of the Trust; however, to be more cost effective, on this occasion the participants travelled to the vessel at its home port of Gosport.

Participant Feedback

“Truly changed my perspective and forever outlook on trying new experiences.”

"I just wanted to say how much I loved my time on the boat. It is not often that I get the chance to do something like that, and honestly, it meant a lot to me. The whole experience was made even better by the people I got to meet — everyone had so much to say and so much to offer. It didn’t feel like just a group of strangers; it felt like a little family out on the water."

"We were all strangers tied to the same mast, trading secrets and tangled lines beneath the moonlight. You realise fast that a tiny boat on a big ocean doesn't leave room for hiding—it only leaves room for found families, and the kind of truth you can't un-know."

"Boats are surprisingly fun with the right people.”

What is a care leaver?

A care leaver is a young person aged 16-25 years old who has been in the care of the Local Authority/Social Services - for example with a foster family, or in a children’s home. When they leave this situation, they are then on their own, without family support, and referred to as a ‘care leaver.’ Care Leavers are a very vulnerable group and have the worst outcomes of any group of young people. Often poor exam results, higher risk of unemployment, poorer mental health and more likely to be in prison than young people who have not experienced the care system. This is well documented and according to Dr Denise Hill at Swansea University 'The transition period from care to independent living is a highly challenging time for young care leavers and unfortunately; often leads to poor outcomes. Nevertheless; there is evidence to suggest that if the young person is supported effectively towards a successful transition out of care; the associated negative outcomes can be mitigated; and the likelihood of positive outcomes (e.g. mental health and wellbeing, employment, financial independence and civic obedience) can increase.’

The Tall Ships (Wales) project “Positive Destinations for Care Leavers” was designed to help care leavers in their journey to reach their full potential and support them at this critical (earliest possible) stage in their lives by offering mentoring; sailing opportunities; and transformative voyages to celebrate the milestone as they transition into independence and adulthood.

The Local Authority acts as a ‘corporate parent’ and provides a Personal Advisor to support the care leavers in the early stages of independence.

 Group Leaders 

The Cirdan Sailing Trust requested that we provide group leaders to support and manage the group and Pembrokeshire Social Services provided a Social Worker - Kym and a Personal Advisor Lora to oversee the group. The third group leader was Matthew who is a Personal Advisor and came with care leaver Kieran to support him like a father figure and companion.