On behalf of Woodeaton Manor School and myself, thank you for our time on Johanna Lucretia last week.
I first want to thank The Island Trust for such an amazing opportunity. Living in Oxfordshire, opportunities like this are rare for our young people. To be able to sail off the coast of England in a boat as amazing as Johanna Lucretia is something our group will never forget. Woodeaton continues to be so grateful for these opportunities. The group all had an amazing time and many of the group are keen on returning one day. If this is ever a possibility, Woodeaton would always be interested.
I also need to thank our amazing crew. Dan, Simon, Lucy and Reggie were the perfect crew. They were always clear with instructions and always made sure that everybody joined in. Any tasks they gave our young people were achievable, filling our group with confidence. They all engaged with our group on a personal level too and I know that all our young people had a lot of respect for them by the end of the week. For our pupils to see this crew as something similar to friends by the end of the week was an astonishing achievement, only possible by the way the crew interacted with them. On a personal level, this was my third trip with The Island Trust, and I also felt this was the best crew I had worked with. I felt like the crew totally understood our young people and played to their strengths. We are so grateful to all of them for the week we had. When asking if they could return, some of our young people also requested the same crew: a real compliment to their efforts!
Seeing our young people make such progress and go on such an amazing journey in just one week is always incredible to see. This wouldn’t be possible without the opportunities that The Island Trust provide for us. We are so grateful and sing your praises to anyone who asks.
Wishing you all the best
Lewis
Woodeaton Manor School
30 June 2023