It’s a big THANK YOU to our amazing volunteers

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The first week of June is Volunteers’ Week enabling us to say a big thank you to all those who help Challenge Wales and support young people

Our amazing volunteers make our voyages possible, they work with young people, they help with maintenance, they do the shopping ready for a voyage, they do DBS checks, they show people around the boat on open boat days, they spend days at sea helping young people leave their comfort zone, they sometimes get sea sick….and sometimes they don’t, they do fundraising, they support fundraising activities, they do cleaning to ensure the boat is spick and span, they are positive role models, they provide supportive words and encouragement to young people and are passionate about helping others. This is why we want to say thank you!

Volunteers Week Logo in Welsh

Challenge Wales is the award-winning charity that it is today because of our volunteers. The young people we work with have missed out on outdoor learning because of Covid, but our volunteers have missed out too.

Volunteering provides a way of giving back, a way of socialising and meeting new people, making new friends, learning new skills or improving current ones. It’s great for your well-being. And, volunteering can improve self-confidence and make you feel good, or even great about yourself.

So thank you again and we can’t wait to welcome back all our volunteers onto our vessels and back into the fold again.

If you are interested in being part of our volunteer team and enabling young people to broaden their horizons and develop to their potential then why not sign up to become a volunteer today and find out more.

World Sailing RYA and Steering the Course logo

World Sailing Global Women’s Sailing Festival Features Challenge Wales Trustee

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The #SteeringThe Course festival is focussing on inspirational women participating in sailing, whether it is on the water, or off, but who are playing their part in getting people involved in sailing.

Vicky Williams, part of the Challenge Wales team

Vicky shares her story with World Sailing/RYA Cymru;

“I came from a non-sporty, non-sailing family and was introduced into sailing by a friend in my late teens, who I sailed for fun with on a few occassions. At that time I was actively competing in Dragon Boat Racing (which I really loved) and really enjoyed being on the water but sailing was completely new and a bit outside my comfort zone. My first sailing experiences were all about being an extra body onboard and just having a go. A few years later my husband (who had been a competitive sailor) bought a 41ft boat and I learnt the basics of sailing, learning the ropes and becoming a competent pair of hands.

A few years later I had the opportunity to jump onboard a Challenge 72, an ex round-the-world racing yacht (now known as Challenge Wales) and knowing how sailing might not always be or feel that accessible and that it can really develop social, communication and teamwork skills, I became a Board Member of the Challenge Wales sail training charity. A charity that uses sailing to inspire and develop young people to achieve their potential. Giving young people the opportunity to sail Challenge Wales and now our second vessel Adventure Wales has enabled some to take a career into the sailing world, for others it has enabled a career into the marine world, for others it has enabled them to feel positive about themselves and motivated them that anything can be possible.

Initially, I was not just a board member but a volunteer crew on many of the voyages but as I was hands-on with helping the new charity develop I stepped back from crewing to enable me to also meet all the people who were jumping onboard, bring in funding and recruit volunteer crew. Now as we head into our 12th year of operation I am amazed how far Challenge Wales has grown. The charity has sailed with thousands of young people jumping onboard, we have 100 volunteers as positive role models, our innovative sail training programme has received recognition within the industry and youth work sector and we even represented Wales at the Queens Jubilee Pageant in London in 2012.

In 2019 we piloted a couple of Ladies Only Sailing Days and a Sea and Tell programme which brings our sailing activities and sea-safety to younger children who can explore our boats in a safe way.

Being outdoors on the water is great for your mental health and connecting with nature and I am passionate about sustainability and environmental issues particularly microplastics (unfortunately) so it’s great that I can do this and learn through sailing and more importantly share my enthusiasm with others. I am one of those people that if I see an opportunity I grab it with both hands and will also encourage others to do the same. I hope for those who haven’t started sailing when they were really young realise there are still opportunities for getting involved out there.

Challenge Wales offers sailing opportunities for adults as well as young people. The charity works with young people aged 12 – 25 years but other activities the charity does means those aged 18 – 80 can also come sailing, volunteer as crew or get involved behind the scenes to enable more young people to have the opportunity.


We're recruiting for new roles at Challenge Wales

We’re Recruiting

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Join us and share our amazing adventures!  As the Challenge Wales sail training charity looks forward to the future and restarting its activities we are on the hunt for a Skipper to join the team. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who has the right sailing experience, fun and enthusiastic outlook , ability to manage maintenance activities, lead a team and wants to help young people develop their potential.

Deadline for applications:  21st May 2021

Click here to read the Skipper Job Description

This role will remain open until the right candidate is found.

Any enquiries regarding this role can be directed to the Challenge Wales office.

Captain Tom 100 image

Captain Tom 100 Challenge: Be part of the legacy and support Challenge Wales

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In April 2020, Captain Tom inspired the nation by walking 100 laps around his garden for the NHS. Now, you can build on that legacy from 30th April – 3rd May as people from all over the world fundraise for their favourite charities including Challenge Wales.

What is the Captain Tom 100?
It would have been Sir Captain Tom Moore’s 101st birthday on Friday 30th April 2021. To mark this date and as part of the legacy, the Captain Tom 100 is about getting people to dream up a fundraising activity based on ‘100’ between 30th April and 3rd May 2021. It can be any activity as long as it complies with Government guidelines at the time.

How to get involved in the Captain Tom 100
Make up a challenge based on 100 at any time during Captain Tom’s birthday weekend (30th April – 3rd May). To help you, we’ve come up with some ideas:
* Walk 100 metres
* Bake 100 vegan cookies
* Cycle 100km’s
* 100 keepy uppies
* Go up and down your stairs 100 times
* Read 100 pages of your favourite book
* Pick up 100 pieces of litter
* 100 minute silence or 100 minutes telling jokes!

Once you have thought up your Captain Tom 100 fundraising challenge for Challenge Wales, you can set up a fundraising page here with JustGiving or a fundraising page here with VirginMoneyGiving. Both fundraising platforms link directly to Challenge Wales and will enable Challenge Wales to support disadvantaged young people on their outdoor learning skills development programme.

Then shout about your fundraising on social media using #CaptainTom100 and encourage others to support and sponsor you. Remember to share your fundraising links as far as you can!

Need some more inspiration? Download a list of 100 ideas to get you started.

Why should I support Challenge Wales?
Challenge Wales supports young people through its outdoor learning programme. By taking young people to sea, regardless of their background or ability, Challenge Wales helps develop the life skills and employability skills of young people to improve their prospects. Since March 2020 the Charity has been unable to operate due to COVID but knows it will play a part in a post-covid world particularly as its activities are shown to improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people. Money raised will ensure we can reach out to young people who would benefit from our services. If you aren’t able to take part in a fundraising event but would like to make a secure donation you can also do that here.

Sea Stories - Bristol Channel and beyond

Sea Stories – From the Bristol Channel and Beyond

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Let our storytellers bring you the folklore, legend and history of the Bristol Channel.

In 2019 a group of international storytellers sailed from Cardiff to Swansea and back onboard Adventure Wales. This voyage brought storytelling to hundreds of school pupils.

Both Storytelling and sail training activities with Challenge Wales help young people develop their self-confidence, helps develop social skills and can take people out of their comfort zone. So it is great that Challenge Wales and our storytellers continued to talk about ideas after the voyage and for the first time are collaborating for an evening of folklore, legends and stories around the sailing grounds where the Challenge Wales vessels; Challenge Wales and Adventure Wales sail.

The event is free to attend and our storytellers and behind-the-scenes admin people (the Zoom-meisters) are giving their time and energy free of charge.

So grab your own drinks and nibbles and join us for something different: Register here.

Once you have registered, you will be sent an email confirmation and at the bottom of the email you will have a ZOOM Link. Keep this safe as you will need to click on the ZOOM link on the evening to access the event.

One of our amazing supporters who is helping us to put on this event has set up a fundraising page for Challenge Wales. So, if you would like to support the charity and it’s work then please feel free to donate here. Money raised will enable us to engage with more young people and help them to have a brighter future through our innovative and educational outdoor sail training programme.

Young people hoisting a sail on a tall ship

Have Your Say, Shape Our Project, Change Lives

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Over the past three years, hundreds of young people have benefitted from funded voyages where they were able to learn lifeskills such as teamwork and communication, they improved their self-confidence, achieved Agored Cymru accreditation and learned about the environment by taking part in our shore-side programme and citizen science activities.

Our activities, which happen at sea and on land, have helped young people improve their employment prospects and are also evidenced to improve young people’s mental health. Take a look at some of our case studies! 

At the moment we are unable to sail due to Coronavirus but we are planning for the future and the part we will play in a post-Covid world.

So, how can you get involved and help us?

We are looking for 11 – 25 year olds. Challenge Wales is wanting to hear the views of young people to help us shape our next project to help 600 young people improve their employment prospects. Can you help share our short survey with young people aged 11 – 25 years? Perhaps you are a young person yourself and you have a few minutes to fill it in. Just click here to complete the survey.

Do you work with young people aged 11 – 25 years? You might be a group leader, a teacher or a home-schooling parent. If so, we have a different survey for you to complete. Just click here to complete our group leader survey.

To help group leaders, teachers and home-schooling networks to complete the survey with their pupils, students and young people we would love to join you for one of your virtual sessions. We just need 10 minutes of your time to do this to explain what the project is and to get your views. If you would like to take advantage of this and one of our team virtually visiting you then contact us by email or call 029 20 704 657 for more details.

Challenge Wales is an award-winning charity that changes the lives of young people by taking them to sea on Challenge Wales | Wales’ Tall Ship and Adventure Wales.

People folding up a sail on Challenge Wales
Coop Foundation Logo

Co-op Members Around The UK Can Support Challenge Wales

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Challenge Wales is one of the charities selected by the Co-op Community Fund that will be supported this year so whether you live local to the charity or not, anyone who shops at a Co-op shop can help Challenge Wales.
This comes at a great time when food shopping is definitely an essential activity during Lockdown (and of course outside of Lockdown) and charities have been hard hit by the impact of Coronavirus.

Challenge Wales has set itself a target to raise a few thousand pounds through the Co-op and its members to help no fewer than 100 disadvantaged young people through the charity’s innovative outdoor sailing and shore-side activity programme. This will benefit the young people through improved life skills, improved individual potential, and improved mental health, something that Coronavirus has really impacted on.
Young people hoisting a sail on the Adventure Wales boat in Cardiff

To help Challenge Wales reach its target, you will need to be a member of the Co-op (don’t worry, if you’re not a member yet as you can become a member for just £1….which you then get back in-store discounts) and for every £1 you spend, 2p gets donated to community organisations like us.


To choose Challenge Wales as your nominated charity please click here as every penny you spend will really help us.
Remember though, you can only raise money with your Co-op shop if you are a member of the Co-op. To become a member of Co-op you can sign up here or from our Challenge Wales page on the Co-op website.

The Co-op Foundation helps those that are disadvantaged to overcome their challenges by getting the community to work together and help young people contribute positively to their communities.

What an exciting way to start 2021. Happy Shopping!

The Only Outdoor Education Provider To Be Shortlisted For a Welsh Government Award!

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What a huge achievement it was to be nominated for a Welsh Government Youth Work Excellence Award 2020. It was amazing to see so many fantastic youth work projects alongside us. Every finalist was deserving of a win. There is certainly some magical stuff going on in youth work in Wales that isn’t always seen and even more so when you’re in the middle of a pandemic.

Although Challenge Wales didn’t win an award (we were nominated in the Equality and Diversity category), we were alongside some really exciting, life-enhancing, life-changing projects that were making a positive difference to the young people of Wales, but it was interesting to see that Challenge Wales was the only finalist to represent the Outdoor Education sector.

Although it was very nice to be the only Outdoor Education provider shortlisted, we were surprised there weren’t more when Outdoor Education plays a major part in many young people’s development…..and Wales is home to an amazing outdoor classroom!

Outdoor Education is a personal experience, helping young people develop skills that can’t be learned the same way in a formal setting, it can put everyone on the same playing field regardless of their abilities and background, it provides a skills-focused learning environment with adventure and fun within a framework of safety.

Outdoor Education gets minds exploring and encourages participants to take greater responsibility in their actions, it’s about active learning and problem-solving, it helps the understanding of the natural environment and in many creates a life-long appreciation for, and long-term engagement with, the outdoors. The outdoors can create a piece of calm and digital-detox space in the madness of the modern Covid-19 world. Our own independent evaluation of our activities evidenced the positive impact and improvements being on the water had on mental health.

Outdoor Education, and going to sea, is a truly powerful tool and residential experiences in particular, as we often see on our sail training vessels, are life-changing, empowering and offer positive spaces for all.

At the moment many outdoor education organisations are struggling while residential experiences are banned despite operators like ourselves putting in new covid-safe practices and changing how activities are run.

Everything we do in life is often not risk-free, and like all outdoor education providers assessing and managing risk is something we are very much used to….it is at the heart of our operations. We sail with the most precious cargo imaginable – people. We know COVID-19 is here for a while yet and with this uncertainty, we know we have to work with this shadow over us and adapt to manage the new normal.

For those in formal education, outdoor education will form part of the new curriculum in Wales which is supposed to be introduced in 2020. Sail training and outdoor centres are going to play a vital role in this. For those in informal and non-formal learning settings, the Youth Work Strategy for Wales is about ensuring young people can thrive and have the tools and experiences to ensure that. Sail training and outdoor centres play a vital role in this as well.

The Environment Act (Wales) 2016 and the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act (Wales) 2015 together create modern legislation for improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of Wales. Did you know that outdoor learning contributes to all 7 Wellbeing Goals as well as providing ‘opportunities and activities that expand horizons within and beyond the traditional learning environment of the classroom.’ (source: Wales Council for Outdoor Learning).

Like many other outdoor education providers, we feel we can offer a fantastic, positive outdoor learning experience and this educational experience shouldn’t shut its doors on those that need it.

“I regard it as the foremost task of education to ensure the survival of these qualities: an enterprising curiosity, an undefeatable spirit, tenacity in pursuit, readiness for sensible self-denial, and above all, compassion”
Kurt Hahn (A key figure in the development of experiential education and founder of Outward Bound)

Challenge Wales is supporting the ‘SaveOutdoorEd’ campaign and working with the sail training industry and outdoor sector to ensure its voice is heard. Feel free to tag us into the conversation using the hashtag #SaveOutdoorEd and don’t forget you can find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Challenge Wales Nominated For Youth Work Excellence Award

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We’re excited to announce that we’ve been nominated for an award in the Equality and Diversity category of the Welsh Government’s Youth Work Excellence Award 2020.

The awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding youth work projects that are taking place across Wales and changing lives for the better. It’s a really nice surprise to be nominated as there are so many other deserving youth organisations doing fantastic work, like us.

Challenge Wales’ project ‘Voyages of Discovery’ has been nominated which worked with a diverse range of young people giving them life skills development opportunities plus accreditation – something tangible for a CV which many participants had originally thought was out of their reach.

The ‘Voyages of Discovery’ project aligned with a number of initiatives, policies and plans at local, national and UK government level including, in particular, the Welsh Government’s Wellbeing of Future Generations Act (2015). The Project was also relevant to Welsh Government’s Charter for Youth Work in particular the statement that all young people in Wales are entitled to easy access to “opportunities to take part in outdoor adventure and in residential and international experiences”.

The young people taking part in Challenge Wales’ sail training activities were aged 14 – 25 years and included those with learning difficulties, and/or disabilities; young people living in areas of high unemployment and from inner cities; unemployed and NEET; Care leavers; those who were homeless or in supported housing; In care/Local Authority Care; those with mental health issues; Welsh speakers; those whose first language was not English; cultural/ethnic minorities; LGBTQ+ community members; Young Carers; those with long term health issues; substance misusers; those based in rural areas with access to few opportunities; those with a parent in prison and young offenders. Challenge Wales differs from many other youth organisations in that the charity works across a diverse mix of young people rather than focussing on one or two areas paralleled with a learning environment at sea makes Challenge Wales one of the most unique learning and youth work settings in Wales.

As one youth worker said: “The group was put together because of low self-esteem, lack of confidence. Being part of a team sailing Challenge Wales has enabled the group to believe in themselves that they can do and will do activities outside of their comfort zones….a positive outcome”.

Being nominated for the award, and recognised that we are playing a big part in youth work, is a fantastic testament to our amazing volunteers who tirelessly give up their time to work with these amazing young people and help focus them onto new horizons in a positive way.

We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed to see if we have won. Winners will be announced from 3.00pm on Friday 9th October 2020 on the Welsh Governments Education Wales You Tube Channel here.

Forget Finding Nemo, We’re Finding Dino

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It’s not every day you stumble into a dinosaur footprint, but for Challenge Wales Youth Worker, Kerry, a lone walk may have taken her into a Jurrasic world.

On a lockdown walk in April on Penarth Beach, Kerry spotted some unusual markings on a section of rock.

Have these been made by a Dinosaur?

Excited, and curious she took some photos and got in touch with the Natural History Museum in London who are now investigating the find to see if these footprints could really be from a relation of the T-Rex.

Although you will often find Kerry on the water on one of our sail training vessels, she has already brought some of the outdoor learning programme to shore focussing on the environmental impact of humans on land through microplastic surveys and analysing litter during litter picks. As a youth worker, Kerry is always on the look-out to develop the Challenge Wales educational programme further with something unique. But, finding dino was not something she was expecting on her lockdown litter-picking walk!

“I knew the area had a history of dinosaur discoveries, so I am hoping I have found something really exciting. “

At Challenge Wales HQ, we can’t wait to see what gets uncovered and no doubt it will add to our outdoor educational activities. And, as the footprints have been found on the Welsh coast, who knows it might be a Dai-nosaurus Rex!

All photos in this article have been taken by Kerry Rees for Challenge Wales to use.