There are just four days left for a Cornwall based environmental group to hit its Crowdfunder target to release match funding for a wellbeing project.

Clean Ocean Sailing are looking to raise £5,000 for its Ocean Wellbeing Project which brings together marine conservation and positive social outreach, offering individuals from disadvantaged communities the opportunity to sail on our 117 year old traditional wooden boat, Annie, and participate in our ocean clean up missions.

The group, based at Gweek Boatyard and Penryn, is currently at 21% of its target, but if it reaches 25%, Cornwall Council have agreed to invest £2,500 in it.

Helen Chadwick from the group says these days have been hugely successful in their impact so far and the feedback from participants has been humbling.

"We can’t all be as joyful and free as we might like, but spending time in nature, doing something positive for the environment and having time to chat with our onboard mental health professional can help participants experience improved wellbeing.

"Please donate if you can, or share with anyone you think might be able to help."

Clean Ocean Sailing is a Cornish voluntary organisation that dedicates itself to cleaning our coasts and oceans sustainably under sail, and raising awareness about ocean plastics.

With the help of The Annette and some smaller crafts, they sail and paddle to remote, inaccessible places to clean up our coast by collecting plastic from the shores and sorting, recording, reusing and recycling it.

They work with volunteers of all ages and backgrounds. So far, they have recovered over 55 tons of marine waste.

There central message is to Refuse, Recover, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle the marine plastic devastating our marine environments.  

During sailing trips on the 117 year old traditional wooden boat, Annie, participants can experience sailing, kayaking, rowing and wild swimming alongside activities with a positive environmental impact like beach cleaning, processing marine plastics for recycling and repurposing.

Conversations about mental health provide practical tools and a greater understanding of the benefits of physical activity, time spent in nature, interpersonal relationships and having a sense of purpose along with coping skills to take away, making a lasting difference in participants lives.

Through participation in challenging outdoor activities, working as a team, they aim to build self-confidence and a sense of achievement. The beach cleans allow for a deeper understanding of the causes and consequences of human impact on our marine environment and the importance of preserving the marine ecosystem. 

Project therapist Sarah MacQueen is helping provide a safe space and opportunity to explore participants concerns around mental and physical health, covering aspects of personal and climate anxiety, reconnection to self and the natural environment and how to extend these coping skills in their everyday lives.

Some 2022 Ocean Wellbeing participants feedback includes: "It was my first time getting on a real boat. Seeing everything from the water was like exploring a whole different world, even more so in the smaller boats.

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"That change in perspective revealed so much more and has prompted me to think about how I can change my own perspective on my life and the opportunities in it; there’s just so much more out there."

"Thank-you for an amazing and hugely transformative day; it was mind-blowing!"

"My favourite moments were moving through the water in the boat powered by the wind, getting involved in pulling ropes and seeing how the boat responded. Doing something to make a positive difference, in my life and in the world."

"It was a hugely empowering and inspiring day, which has really changed things for me. I’m desperate to come back, learn more and grab more plastic!"

You can donate to the Crowdfunder here or by going to the Crowdfunder website and searching Ocean Cleaning for Wellbeing Project