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A group of school children on the edge of a dock, in front of HM Naval Base Portsmouth

Isle of Wight students learn about life in the Royal Navy across the centuries

15th October 2024

Nine students from The Bay Church of England school in Sandown on the Isle of Wight enjoyed a VIP trip to Portsmouth, including a two-hour tour of the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and a visit to Henry VIII’s 16th century flagship Mary Rose. Ferry company Wightlink supported the organisers with cross-Solent travel.

The 15-year-olds in Year 11 walked on the massive flight deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth and tried their hands at using fire-fighting equipment and carrying out other challenges. They also spoke to crew members about the varying careers available within the Royal Navy and Royal Marines.

At the Mary Rose Museum in the Historic Dockyard, volunteers gave the group a fascinating insight into the history of the ship and its sinking off Southsea in 1545. Students were able to compare the sizes of the two vessels and the roles of each one.

Senior Youth Workers and School Leaders accompanied the visit, arranged through Community Action Isle of Wight’s Bay Youth Project (BYP) partnership with the Royal Navy Attract team; Attract regularly delivers leadership courses to schools and community groups on the Island.

“We are extremely grateful to the Royal Navy and Mary Rose Museum for such a unique experience and to Wightlink for supporting us with travel. All of the young people are interested in careers in the military or public service and five of them told us they’re now keen to join the Royal Navy,” says Julian Wadsworth, Community Resilience Coordinator for the Bay area and Youth Intervention Development Officer at Community Action Isle of Wight.

Quotes from the young people who visited Portsmouth

“The visit helped me look into the future and the opportunities available. Through meeting the Royal Navy crew members, I have been able to consider different avenues and how to achieve them,” says John.

“It really opened my eyes to what I can do in the future and how I can affect other peoples’ lives”, says Tamsin.

“It has helped me know about how many career opportunities there are in the Navy and it was a really good trip”, says Madilyn.

Headteacher Mrs Emma Bowden adds: “The students had a fantastic opportunity and every one of them took something positive away from the day. On behalf of the students and The Bay we would like to thank Julian at Community Action Isle of Wight for liaising and organising such an amazing trip, alongside Wightlink, the Royal Navy and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.”

Picture caption: The team from Sandown arrive at Portsmouth on Wightlink’s FastCat ready to learn more about the Royal Navy

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