Community stories
Finding new confidence on the water
When Milly was 11 years old, she was struggling across her friendships, school work and mental health. Through the Sail Training Trust programme, Milly's inspiring journey on the water began.
When Milly was 11 years old, she was a keen swimmer training six hours a day before and after school. Although she loved swimming, it was exhausting and taking up all her time and energy. In addition, she was struggling across her friendships, school work and mental health.
One of Milly’s teachers suggested that she try the Sail Training Trust programme. When Milly started the two-year programme she was nervous – some of the other students were much older and had experience of sailing and watersports. However, the instructors were great and helped her realise her potential. She fell in love with watersports, particularly windsurfing.
Milly was then selected for a winter windsurf training programme made up of training and competitions. In 2022, Milly was selected for the international competition Windsurfing Europeans and competed in Sardinia!
As soon as she turned 15, Milly started volunteering at ASC Portsmouth and trained over the summer to be an Assistant Dingy and Windsurfing Instructor thanks to funding from the Andrew Simpson Foundation. A year later, Milly earned her Windsurfing Instructor qualification followed by a Dinghy Instructor course.
Since then, Milly has been working part-time as an instructor at ASC Portsmouth, coaches for the RYA windsurfing Regional Training Group and is doing a two-year diploma in Sports Coaching and Development
“I love the freedom of being out on the water. Even if you have had a bad day, you forget about it all when you’re out on the water. School was hard, I struggled with my mental health, and I wasn’t academic. But when you’re out on the water it really helps you deal with all of that.
“I really struggled to make friends at school, but here it is easy. We have a passion for watersports and a love for the freedom of being out on the water in common.
Milly’s now taking on her next adventure – the Royal Navy. She’s recently completed her basic training in Raleigh and is ready for a new challenge. We’re so proud of Milly at the Andrew Simpson Foundation for her hard work and determination. Having joined the programme as a shy and introverted pupil, it’s been a pleasure to see her growth over the years.
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