WATCH: FreeSpirit, a boat which will be used to help boost mental wellbeing, arrives in Port Solent to begin fit-out
A community boat which is being built to help people of all ages and abilities enjoy the ocean has arrived in Port Solent for the next stage of the project.
FreeSpirit, which is aiming to help people suffering from long term chronic illnesses get the benefits of being on the water, arrived in Portsmouth on Friday, August 14. A host of people involved in the project and its supporters were there to welcome it.
The boat arrived from Spain and it will now undergo a custom re-fit to make it accessible to people of all ages and abilities.
Ross Honey, founder of Angling Spirit and of the FreeSpirit project, said: “FreeSpirit is a boat that has been custom built to help people suffering with chronic long term illnesses and to help them use the sea, and being on the water, as a means of wellbeing.
“People have come from Portugal, Scotland, and throughout the UK to support this. Its not just a boat arriving, it’s a part of history being created and I think it is great that we have such phenomenal support.”
The project is something that has taken years of work and planning to get to this stage. Neil Pearce, a former liver and pancreatic cancer surgeon, is the current chairman of the trustees for FreeSpirit.
Neil was delighted to be there to the boat arrive. He said: “This is an extraordinary moment, it is something we have been talking about over the last couple of years. Seeing it evolve from a crazy idea into a physical reality is a very big moment for us.
“I think it will help when speaking to potential sponsors, people can see it and realise it is not a pipe dream it is something that is a reality and will make a big difference.”
Further information on the FreeSpirit project can be found on https://www.freespirit.care/