A GROUP of young people are set to be the crew on a sailing voyage thanks to donations from local Lions groups.

The 12 pupils, aged from 12 to 16, are all in ROOSE - Ryedale Out Of School Education - meaning they are not currently in mainstream education.

The group will sail out of Ipswich on June 18 on the five-day voyage, and will spend three nights at anchor and one in a marina. Their route will be dictated by the weather and the tides.

Some sixth formers from Lady Lumley’s School in Pickering will also go in mentor roles.

Kathy Robson, deputy head of the ROOSE centre, said that the staff had been looking for this sort of opportunity for the pupils due to the various important life skills it will give them.

“They will get a sense of achievement and self-confidence,” she said. “They’ll be living with others in close quarters, it will require teamwork.”

She added they’ll be working on all aspects of the expedition, from trimming the sails to swabbing the decks.

The voyage has been made possible partly through a charity called the Cirdan Sailing Trust, which “specialises in enabling groups of young people, particularly those who are disadvantaged in some way, to experience the challenge and adventure of life at sea on large sailing vessels”.

The Trust operates three boats: Duet, Faramir and Queen Galadriel.

Financial support has also come from both the Ryedale Lions and the Malton and Norton Lions groups. Each has donated £1,000 to the costs, making a total of £2,000.

ROOSE delivers education to students from the four secondary schools across Ryedale who cannot attend mainstream education for a period of time.

It’s a collaborative project between the schools, but currently Lady Lumley’s School hold the ROOSE budget and management responsibility on behalf of the four other schools.

The ROOSE curriculum offers curricular subjects up to GCSE level, as well as courses such as functional skills and employability.