South End Schools Enjoy Sailing on Swan

Thanks to financial support from the Zetland Educational Trust, 30 pupils from primaries 4, 5 and 6 at Dunrossness and 20 primary 5 pupils from Cunningsburgh all had the opportunity to learn about the historic vessel and sail on board.

The trips took place in May, with one of the Cunningsburgh trips rescheduled to September due to weather issues on one day.

Louise Leslie from Dunrossness School said "On the whole, the class found it really positive, and a good few of them are considering some form of future sail training."

In a year when Shetland is hosting the Tall Ships Races, this is welcome feedback and the comments from the pupils themselves show clear enthusiasm.

Further positive feedback was received from Melvyn Clark at Cunningsburgh School. He said "The trips out on the Swan were fantastic opportunities for the classes involved to gain ‘hands on’ experience of what it takes to sail a traditional vessel like the Swan. They learned about different parts of the boat and her history, all the while working as a team while they raised sails and took turns at the helm (all under the supervision of and with the support from the experienced and helpful crews!)"

The Swan Trust SCIO and both Dunrossness and Cunningsburgh Schools would like to express their thanks to the Zetland Educational Trust for providing the funding to make these trips possible.