A LIFE on the ocean waves proved to be a huge hit for five young people in Wisbech, thanks to sponsorship from Bidwells Property Consultants, who stepped in to provide the £1,000 needed to send the youngsters on the six-day sailing adventure from Eastbour

A LIFE on the ocean waves proved to be a huge hit for five young people in Wisbech, thanks to sponsorship from Bidwells Property Consultants, who stepped in to provide the £1,000 needed to send the youngsters on the six-day sailing adventure from Eastbourne to Wisbech.

The five, all sea cadets who live close to the £47million Nene Waterfront Development scheme, were over the moon to be offered the opportunity to jump aboard the 49ft sail training yacht, the Offshore Scout. Bidwells is playing a key role in 'selling' the Nene Waterfront Development project to investors and stipulated that the beneficiaries of the sponsorship should be from the immediate local area.

The five young people, Martin Hodson, Kylie Jackson, Sarah Mackintosh, Patrick Mackintosh and Louie Thompson, are all members of Wisbech Sea Cadets, but it was the first time they had sailed aboard an oceangoing yacht.

They were part of a group of almost 100 local youngsters who benefited from a variety of sailing trips around

Britain's coastline on the Offshore Scout this summer.

Each member of the yacht's crew was either sponsored or paid for their own place on board. More than 60 of the lucky sailors came from the Queen's School, Wisbech. The school has played a key role in attracting the Offshore Scout to Wisbech for the past four years. Bidwells stepped in to fund five young crew members, two of whom loved it so much they remained on board as part of the delivery crew when the yacht returned to Ipswich.

All five crew members, along with all the other youngsters, were awarded their Royal Yachting Association Competent Crew Certificates.

The Offshore Scout has proved such a huge hit in Wisbech that it and its sister yacht Ocean Scout will be making Wisbech Yacht Harbour part of their sea training programme in 2007, giving more local young people the opportunity to embrace the challenge of sailing large yachts.

Emma Fletcher, of Bidwells, said: "We were delighted to help support local people who will benefit from the Nene Waterfront Development. The project is the biggest development ever to have taken place in Fenland and as part of the project team, we wanted to show our support for local people.