Turn to Starboard use sailing to support Armed Forces personnel affected by military service. The charity helps serving and retired military personnel with physical injuries or mental trauma, and their families to benefit from the therapeutic effects of sailing and the sea.
How does Turn to Starboard help British Veterans?
Providing veterans with the opportunity to earn internationally recognised qualifications that can be used to start a career in the sailing industry, Turn to Starboard offers veterans a real hope to kick-start their lives again once leaving the forces.
Founder of Turn to Starboard, Shaun Pascoe told us: “This grant from the Veterans Foundation will help the charity to deliver its services, including its Zero to Hero training programme. The flexible course with expert tuition is designed for injured veterans with little or no sailing experience to build confidence and self-esteem through learning new skills."
"Each veteran can earn the internationally recognised Royal Yacht Association (RYA) Yachtsman qualification. This qualification opens doors for the candidate to pursue a career in the world of sailing."
"It's thanks to the incredible support from organisations such as Veterans’ Foundation that we can continue to provide our service to those who need us most and continue to change lives for the better."
"Since our launch in 2012, we are proud to have provided more than 2,500 sailing opportunities to injured veterans and their families, with many benefiting from the therapeutic effects of the sailing and the sea, and many individuals going on to find new careers in the marine industry.”
But Turn to Starboard offers veterans more than help learning skills and training for qualifications, as one veteran explained: “When I was first diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) life seemed extremely bleak and I spent much of my time in solitude unable to contemplate a future at all. Since my engagement with Turn to Starboard, life has taken on a new meaning and purpose. I believe that Shaun Pascoe has given me back my life, handed me a future and returned a sense of self-worth. I shall remain eternally grateful.”
