Access to Adventure Trust

The ocean is a mighty force, in this case for good. The Access to Adventure Trust is a newly formed Charitable Trust set up to provide year-round access to the ocean for individuals with physical or intellectual disabilities – to empower them to experience freedom, connection, and joy through tailored marine adventures. And, more than that, it’s a movement to restore dignity, inclusion and adventure to the lives of those too often left on the shore. Past supporters of ocean adventures, Darrell and Marlene regularly sponsored a day out for 20 people with accessible needs on the Wish for Fish boat that came up once a year from Tauranga.
 
With the need for this service in Northland and Auckland growing, and the Wish for Fish boat fully utilised down country, a group of people including Darrell, Sharon Carroll, Mere Patira, Simon Davies-Colley, and Lee Maddox formed a Charitable Trust and set about raising funds to purchase and refit a boat to be a purpose built charter vessel catering for people with varying levels of accessible needs, including those in power chairs.

To date, the Trust has secured $150K. They’ve used this to purchase an absolutely awesome vessel, and appointed a contract CEO, Tony Pearce and Senior Skipper, Kelvin Johnson, to help with setting up the trust, raising funds and managing the complete refit of the vessel to get it back into maritime survey and on the water. Darrell is proud to be appointed as Chair of the Trust. Now it’s all hands on deck working to get the boat on the water, and 1000 people each year out on the water along the coastlines of Northland and Auckland. Darrell says they now need to raise over $700K to complete the accessible refit of the boat. If you, or people or businesses you know, can come on board and support us, or make a donation, please contact Darrell on 021332901 or follow the link here – we’re jut getting started and every donation, no matter how small, counts.