Funding push for spring recovery voyage
Excitement is mounting for a spring voyage involving mental health service users and staff from Suffolk.
The Early Intervention in Psychosis team currently has £4,505 towards the £7,000 it needs to join the 2024 Voyage to Recovery around the British Coast, run by the Cirdan Sailing Trust.
The team recently received £2,500 from the Norfolk Boat charity and £1,500 from the Ropes Trust. This has been added to the mixture of staff, friends and family donations made on the fund’s Just Giving page.
Psychological therapist Joanne Walkling said: “We’re now well on the way towards our goal. Our brilliant sailing crew have been confirmed and will begin meeting up this month to start bonding as a team ahead of setting sail in April.”
The 12 service users and hopefully three staff will be sailing 208 miles from 13-18 April on the first leg of the voyage between Ipswich and Portsmouth. They will join a crew aboard the 22m yacht Faramir, sailing, socialising and cooking while on board.
Joanne said: “Everyone has been very excited and can’t wait to get going on the meet ups and the sailing.”
The first meet-up planned is a visit to a nature reserve, to give the service users and staff a chance to get to know each other and to make a list of any questions and worries. There are also walks and team-building activities in the pipeline.
The team thanked friends, family, and colleagues who have been “incredibly generous” in donating to this cause. “We are also very appreciative of the two local charities who have given us a grant to enable us to offer this opportunity,” said Joanne. “With fundraising event ideas from the sailing crew themselves yet to be launched, we are on the way to our target and excitement is mounting.”
An EIP service user who sailed in 2023 summarised their experience: “I learnt that it is a beautiful world and life is worth living.”
Just Giving link: https://www.justgiving.com/page/suffolk-eip-v2r?utm_term=mRJkbm9nX