Over 20 school pupils from Pembrokeshire have achieved sailing qualifications and gained confidence on the water following sponsorship from the Port of Milford Haven.

The Port recently partnered with Pembrokeshire Performance Sailing Academy (PPSA) to offer students from St. Florence VC School and Golden Grove School in Pembroke the opportunity to complete their Youth Sailing Stage 1 Certificates.

Based at Pembroke Dock’s Llanion Cove, PPSA provides a range of RYA dinghy and multihull sailing courses, powerboat courses and some shore-based training. With the Port’s funding, they have been able to run youth sailing courses for 24 students - 12 from St Florence VC school and 12 from Golden Grove School.

The Port of Milford Haven and PPSA have worked together on the Waterway for a number of years and are committed to giving more people the opportunity to enjoy the marine environment in a fun, educated and safe way.

Richard Owens, chief instructor from PPSA, commented: “It’s been great to see the children from St. Florence and Golden Grove schools participate in the RYA’s ‘On Board’ scheme over the past six weeks. The scheme is a fantastic way to introduce young people to sailing and is proven to have a profound and positive effect on their lives. 

“Life skills learned through sailing transfer from the water to the classroom and beyond. These range from confidence, teamwork and leadership to problem solving and adapting to new and different situations. We hope to be able to expand and deliver more of these opportunities in the coming months and years.”

PR and communications executive for the Port of Milford Haven, Sara Aicken, added: “The Waterway is a fantastic place to learn new skills and enjoy the great outdoors. Although the water is all around us, it isn’t always accessible to everyone, but we’re delighted that investment in these training courses has enabled over twenty young people to experience new activities and learn important safety lessons.”

For more information about the courses that PPSA offers visit www.ppsa.co.uk