Reaching disadvantaged young people with a Sea Cadets On the Water programme

BBGI is proud to have worked for a long time in partnership with its management services providers to support initiatives focusing on health, education, empowerment, and the raising of skills and aspirations of people in and around our primary care health facilities procured under the so-called Local Improvement Finance Trust (‘LIFT’) scheme.

The LIFT programme was established in 2001 to bring about the largest and most concentrated investment in the primary healthcare and community estate across England. These projects were a UK government initiative to create long-term public-private sector partnerships that provided new and improved facilities for health and social care at a local level.

BBGI and its management services providers make their primary health buildings a key part of the local communities, with spaces for community groups and fundraising activities. We continue to support initiatives that deliver lasting positive benefits, which in 2022 included the Sea Cadets ‘On the Water‘ programme. Funding for the 2022 programme was provided by 13 corporates and charitable trusts, with three of BBGI’s Project Companies: Liverpool and Sefton Healthcare Partnership, North London Estates Partnership and Barking Dagenham & Havering.

‘On the Water’ is a fully externally funded initiative designed to engage and introduce young people to a range of exciting boating activities with Sea Cadets. These activities are offered at no charge, and targeted to areas and communities that hard-to-reach by youth work, while providing ways to sustain the impact and build future positive impact in young people’s lives.

The programme exceeded its targets including: number of young people (1,384 vs 1,200 target); number of qualifications (201 vs 136 target); and number of sessions of activity delivered (8,940 vs 5,400 target). The programme successfully engaged hard-to-reach groups, with 8 in 10 young people who attended matched to at least one category.

Reported impact by young people and parents and carers was overwhelming high. Alongside the more general positive results around outreach, there are clear signs that ‘On the Water’ is a successful model to reach young people with some of the most extreme levels of disadvantage, with 37 per cent of attendees scoring in the lowest indices across multiple deprivation.

Ian Tayler, Director at BBGI, said

The programme shows a very high level of satisfaction especially in the case of parents, carers and group organisers – with scores in the high 80s- low 90s almost unprecedented. This creates a very high chance that they will tell their community and their friends about the project, which will in turn help to increase the influence and reach of ‘On the Water.’ Based on the success of this amazing programme, we are looking to support it again in 2023, building on the positive impact delivered to those who take part.