Last updated 20:54, Wednesday, 02 July 2008

The tall ship Lord Nelson will be sailing into Whitehaven harbour for the first time since 2000 on Sunday.

Arriving: The Lord Nelson

The 180ft tall ship, which is owned and operated by the Jubilee Sailing Trust, will be docking in the town for a crew changeover.

Lord Nelson will have sailed from Belfast, and will be taking on a new crew for a seven day voyage to Liverpool and be visiting Northern Ireland, the Irish Republic, Scotland and the Isle of Man.

Amongst the 40 crew joining in Whitehaven will be Penrith man, Greg Sadler. Greg, who has spina bifida, is being fully funded to sail on Lord Nelson after a donation from the Lions Club of Penrith to cover the £549 costs of the trip.

The sailing trust is a charity which promotes the integration of physically disabled and able-bodied people through tall ship sailing. It has been running for 30 years.

Dr Peter Weston, a member of the Cumbria Branch of JST said: “I am delighted to see Lord Nelson here in Cumbria. She is a magnificent ship that enables people to overcome disability and experience adventure whilst working alongside others.”

This year there won’t be the opportunity for the public to board Lord Nelson, however for those who want to get a closer look, the Cumbria branch does have some funding available to subsidise local people to sail aboard both Lord Nelson and her sister ship Tenacious.

For more information on how to apply contact Dr Peter Weston on 01697 476263 or Mary Neeson on 01539 568490.

The Leadership@Sea scheme run by the JST also counts as the residential element of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award scheme.

For more information about JST or the Leadership@Sea scheme, go to www.jst.org.uk, or contact Paula on 02380 449108.