Plan B, and how its staff and the programmes they run help to prevent dozens of children and teenagers from falling through the cracks, giving them a renewed purpose for the future, is clearly illustrated by the words of former student Adam Pankhurst.

“I was a delinquent in the community when I was younger. I wasn’t a school person, I preferred doing things with my hands rather than studying,” said Adam.

“I was in and out of schools, and then I found John in 2019 running his previous organisation and moved over with him to Plan B in 2022. I started as a student, working my way up to an apprenticeship at 16 and then became a member of staff at 18. Maybe I could have found my own path, but most likely, I would have gone down a very difficult path in life. It was important I found somewhere like Plan B which could get me back on track and show me there was something else in life other than running around the streets committing crimes,” he said.

The Gosport-based Plan B organisation works with 10-25-year-olds who, for one reason or another,r can’t take part in mainstream education.

Instead, by using the diversity of the local marine industry, the staff teach skills which can be easily transferred into other industries and a route to employment.

Many students have no connection to boating before Plan B; Adam Pankhurst is now hoping for a career as a skipper. Credit: Plan B

Adam, who is now 21 and has started training towards his RYA Yachtmaster qualification, works full time at Plan B teaching woodworking and boatbuilding to students as well as kayaking and paddleboarding after achieving British Canoeing coaching qualifications.

“We do basic training with the students and give out certificates so they achieve something as a result of their time out on the water. When they come into the workshop and then start with building a picture frame and later an oar, they have a real sense of achievement.

“This is so important, as they’ve been used to a situation where the mainstream school system can’t cope with them, and they feel like an outcast; they have no reason to be good or do anything. So, when they can come here and participate and can be recognised for their achievements, it’s a big step towards a better life for them,” explained Adam.

He says he finds boatbuilding “peaceful” but his real passion lies in sailing.

“The second week I was here, I had my first ever sail and I was hooked, I never want to let go; it’s magical. Since then, I have done lots of Round the Island Races and did the 2023 Fastnet Race and built miles on the Sweden 38 Plan B co-owns, and in the spring, we’ll be taking the students out teaching them drills and skills. Ultimately, I’d love to be a skipper of a Swan or a Spirit yacht; sailing yachts are my real passion.”

Plan B: Fulfilling a need

Plan B was founded by John and Vikki Gillard, who saw an “exponential need” to provide an alternative route for young people not engaging in mainstream education.

Previously, John was involved with the Portsmouth Sail Training Trust and then Oarsome Chance, which both provide programmes to help young people fulfil their potential through maritime training. Oarsome Chance’s students and staff were responsible for taking over the building
of the PBO Project Boat – the gaff cutter Secret 20 Harvey – in 2019, ahead of its unveiling at the Southampton Boat Show.

John is a big believer in apprentice-led training.

Getting out on the water is all part of the Plan B philosophy. Credit: Plan B

He sailed out of Liverpool while growing up before moving to the South Coast where, in 1995, he was given the opportunity to train for two years to achieve an RYA Yachtmaster Ocean qualification with Britannia Sailing at Shamrock Quay in Southampton.

This led him to travel the world, running yachts in the Mediterranean, Asia and Australia, before circumnavigating the world with his wife, Vikki, between 2004-2007.

Vikki is also a big part of the Plan B team. As director and office manager, she’s often the first point of contact for parents trying to find a solution after their child has been excluded from school.

“When we came back to the UK in 2008, we became involved with sail training and tried to then pay it forward to the next generation,” said John.

Learning how to use epoxy adhesive. Credit: Plan B

“But, what we recognised was that while sail training was fantastic and life-changing for some of the young people we sailed with, we didn’t have a mechanism to follow up and truly see them through into jobs and careers within the industry or other associated industries. So we created Plan B to make sure we could be there for these young people, week in, and year out, until they can move on to successful and fulfilling lives.”

Now, Plan B helps 54 students, ranging in age from 11 to 19; most are aged 14-16.

All of them are vocational learners who need an education programme where tools are put in their hand, rather than sitting in a classroom listening to a teacher.

John has found that boatbuilding is one of the best ways to do that.

“Working with wood is a great medium, and building a boat and getting such a fantastic end product is attractive to young people. I was surprised in the very early days how well they took to it, but over the last 10 years, I’ve seen how well boatbuilding engages boys and girls of all age groups,” he said.

Students are taught the basics of boatbuilding. Credit: Plan B

The programme starts with the basics of joinery and the introduction of different types of wood, tool use and entry-level techniques for jointing wood.

The first project is a picture frame to teach how to build a mitre joint before moving on to the mortise and tenon joint and then a paddle so students can hone their skills where accuracy is essential.

Those who really take to working with wood then move on to the next level – building a boat, usually a stitch and glue construction like a Medway 10.9.

To date, 12 boats have been built in the workshop at Plan B, including the first, a Romney 2.2 clinker ply rowing and sailing tender which was built from scratch.

Often, the finished boats are used by the students so “they can enjoy the fruits of their labour” before the vessels are sold.

Hands-on experience

“We found, as opposed to the bigger boats that we’ve built like skiffs where it is a lot more instructor-led, 95% of the build of the Romney was done just by the students. They might make a few errors on the build because of the method on the jig, but it is all correctable, and they learn so much more by being truly hands-on. Primarily, this is about giving children who otherwise wouldn’t have it, the opportunity to learn skills and find jobs and progress.”

Many of the boats built by Plan B are CNC cut and then built using the stitch and glue method. Credit: Plan B

The work of John and his Plan B team is funded by top-up funding for special education needs from schools and local authorities, fundraising, and the generosity of several benefactors.

Many local businesses also support the project, including RS Sailing, Bosham Sailing Club, boatfolk’s Haslar Marina and Wessex Resins and Adhesives, which supplies the organisation with its range of licensed West System epoxy products.

Boatbuilding skills come to fruition with the finished article. Credit: Plan B

Wessex’s Hamish Cook is a technical advisor for Plan B, and provides full access to the company’s support teams for advice on boatbuilding and craft projects, and the use of epoxy products.

He is impressed with the standard of work coming out of the workshop. “We deal with a lot of people, whether they be educational establishments, professional boatbuilders or amateurs who are building boats in their back gardens, so it is always impressive to see what people can create and the students here have such great support they can really produce some fantastic boats,” said Hamish.

Skills for life at Plan B

The aim of Plan B is not just about training the boatbuilders or carpenters of the future; it is about giving each student the skills to find ongoing employment and manage independent living.

“We’re teaching them a process,” explained John Gillard. “We’re teaching them to plan the job, to have the right materials, have the right skills, have everything ready, so on a Monday morning, when they turn up to the job, 50% of the work is done because they followed that process. That’s exactly the same whether you are boatbuilding, plumbing in a radiator or wiring a house; it’s the same thought process. While we have a strong USP in the marine industry, which is a great employer here in Gosport, all these skills are transferable into other industries.”

Just some of the people who make Plan B a success – the organisation provides a range of activities for teenagers including boatbuilding, cooking and music. Credit: Katy Stickland

As well as large woodworking and smaller engineering workshops on site, Plan B also has a recording studio, run by Music Matters, and a kitchen where students can earn Food & Hygiene Level 1 and 2 certificates and be taught the skills to cook healthy and nutritious meals under the watchful eye of chef Martin Bennett.

Activities also include fresh and sea water fishing, as well as rowing, inshore and offshore sailing, kayaking and other paddle sports, led by watersports manager, Chris Hill.

RYA sail training is also offered with offshore team building and sailing events locally and further afield. Credit: Plan B

Most of the students have no sailing or watersports background, and many of them have never visited the beach, despite living within 10 miles of the coast.

“One of the bonuses of our location is our close proximity to the water, and the students all aspire to get out on the water. Most of them, not all, have never been to the beach locally, which is amazing for an area like this. So, quite often, that is one of the first activities we do, usually a litter pick. We were doing one the other afternoon, and one of the students began stroking the sand. I asked him what he was doing and he said, ‘I didn’t realise it’d be so soft”; he only lived 15 minutes from the beach but he had never been there. Even the simplest activity can turn into really life-changing stuff,” explained John.

Brighter future with Plan B

Like many of the students, Joe Swindale had never stepped foot on a boat before he crossed paths with John and Vikki Gillard at the age of 14.

The 23-year-old is now the workshop manager at Plan B, having initially found work at a commercial diving company while finishing his GCSEs before completing a four-year marine engineering apprenticeship with Paragon Training.

This resulted in a job with One Degree West in Southsea, rebuilding and serving diesel engines. He then focussed on the technical side of carbon boatbuilding and fabrication, completing work placements with Alex Thomson’s Hugo Boss and the L’Occitane IMOCA 60 race teams, and hopes to focus on composite boatbuilding in the future, building large carbon fibre raceboats.

To date, the students at Plan B have built 12 boats. Credit: Plan B

“No one in my family is sailing-orientated or has anything to do with the water, but they love that I have found something that I enjoy that makes me happy,” said Joe.

“I learnt so much about life by being here, like people skills, how to engage with others, how to do anything with wood, engineering; all the good stuff. It has given me massive opportunities like working with composites with IMOCA race teams. I wouldn’t be who I am today without Plan B.”

Joe describes the Plan B team as a “big family” who look out for each other.

It is clear that this nurturing environment is delivering results, given the success of former students Joe Swindale and Adam Pankhurst.

“Hopefully, there’ll be a Plan B in every town and city around the country because we see the benefits for all young people in vocational educational alternative provision,” said Plan B principal, John Gillard.

“Every young person should have the opportunity to come and do this sort of thing alongside their schooling.”

For further information on Plan B visit theplan-b.org.

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