A BASINGSTOKE teenager, who won the opportunity to take part in a sea voyage, has been presented with a trophy to mark the occasion.

As previously reported, 14-year-old Callum Archibald, from Hatch Warren, was just one of six youngsters from Hampshire who won a chance to board the John Laing yacht after landing a place on this year’s Marina Developments Limited’s Sail Training Awards.

The MDL-sponsored awards, which have been running for more than 20 years, offer young people – carefully selected due to their exceptional accomplishments, or for overcoming adverse personal circumstances – the opportunity of a lifetime aboard a training yacht by Ocean Youth Trust South.

Callum and the five other teenagers took part in the 230-nautical-mile, six-day trip, which took in Studland, Poole and various locations in the Isle of Wight, including Haslar and Cowes, before returning to Southampton.

As well as taking part in the trip, Callum and the five other participants were awarded a Start Yachting certificate from the Royal Yachting Association.

And Callum was presented with a trophy in recognition of the feat by the owner of MDL, Lord Iliffe, at the recent Southampton Boat Show.

Eamon Feeney, managing director at MDL Marinas, said: “Our Sail Training Awards are a very important initiative for us, and we have so far helped well over 100 young people to experience something truly exceptional.

“We are big supporters of the work of Ocean Youth Trust South, and it’s fantastic that they can reward these youngsters with such a brilliant adventure that really does give them skills for life.”