King’s Ely Sixth Former to take to the high seas thanks to annual award

Intrepid King’s Ely Sixth Form student Lynn Jakkaichawadol is preparing for the challenge of a lifetime.

Lynn, 17, is the first girl to receive King’s Ely’s fourth annual Tall Ships Youth Trust (TSYT) Award. The award will enable courageous Lynn, who is originally from Thailand, to embark on a seven day voyage of the high seas, where she will experience many physical and psychological challenges, and discover skills and abilities that she may never have even realised she had.

Lynn is taking part in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at King’s Ely and she says she wants to take part in the voyage to push her out of her comfort zone and to face her fear of boats. She says she also hopes to improve her communication and life skills.

The TSYT Award has been given to King’s Ely by David Andrew, an Old Elean who left the school after the Sixth Form in 1959. Since attending King’s Ely, David has been passionate about sailing and has been an active member and volunteer for the Tall Ships Youth Trust since 1981, when he first went on a sail training voyage. David gifted the school a bursary for the first time in 2015 and the prize is available to Year 11 and Year 12 students.

The TSYT is a registered charity dedicated to the personal development of young people through the crewing of ocean going vessels. It is the UK’s oldest and largest sail training charity for young people aged 12 to 25.

Principal of King’s Ely, Sue Freestone, commented: “This is such a fantastic opportunity for our young people and the successful candidate each year is selected via competitive application. Lynn is a worthy recipient of the bursary and very fortunate to benefit from David Andrew’s generosity. I know that, like her predecessors, she will make the most of her adventure and have a great time along the way.”