News: Taking an Oarsome Chance – A lifeline for Young People
Credit Photography: Times / Pohle
“Young people from Oarsome Chance row a skiff on the waters of Portsmouth Harbour”.
Hidden away on the Gosport coastline, Oarsome Chance is giving life-changing opportunities to hundreds of disadvantaged young people.
Combining sport with vocational training, the team at Oarsome Chance develops programmes designed for people who are disengaged from mainstream education and at risk of exclusion.
The traditional education system hasn’t been built for everyone, and Oarsome Chance reflects a new way of giving young people the education and employability skills they need to take the next steps in their lives.
You can read more about the initiatives and mission behind Oarsome Chance here.
The Epoxycraft team keep in regular touch with the team at Oarsome Chance, we took a trip to visit them at their base within the famous naval harbour in Portsmouth, to catch up on their latest projects.
Our first stop was to visit OC16 and the team talked us through this build.
One of these is the OC16. It’s the charity’s own design – a take in the traditional Selway Fisher. The original design of a Selway was used as a basis, but adapted to make it easier for under 16s and those with a disability to get in and out of the boat. Plus, it has better buoyancy with extra compartments added along the side.
Next on the tour was Joe, a Medway 10/9 Selway Fisher.
The Medway was a commission for a gentleman wanting to take it to France. While he’d been kayaking the channel before, he wanted something more sturdy with better storage for his journeys.
Built off their own design, Joe, has been built by students at Oarsome Chance with chambers at the front and back, so to store bits and bobs (mainly sandwiches) for the journeys.
It was great to meet the team at Oarsome Chance and see the incredible work they do to help disadvantaged young people.
To find out more about Oarsome Chance and the big difference it makes to the lives of disadvantaged youngsters, visit: www.oarsomechance.org or call 023 9250 4492.
