Opened by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, March 10th, 1987.
Presidents: The Rt. Hon. Lord Mayhew of Twysden, QC, PC. Commodore John Madgwick, OBE, RN.

This Christian charity was founded in London in 1983 in order to address the frequent complaint that young people were bored and had nothing exciting to do. Originally we were looking for a building that we could turn into an indoor sports hall, but as a result of a sequence of miraculous happenings, we ended up with a ship, the MV LOACH.

The LOACH spent six very happy years sailing the Thames Estuary and the Medway with groups of pupils from junior, secondary and special schools from all over Britain, with the children literally running the entire operation and spending a couple of days in London as part of their voyage.

Then in 1991, because of staff retirement and relocation, the LOACH moved to Liverpool, where we felt that she could be of most use in helping inner city youngsters. Riversdale College had just shut its Nautical Studies department and the Chief Education Officer of Knowsley asked us, whether, because we had a ship, we could try doing some training for over 16's who wanted to join the Merchant Navy. We took up the challenge and have been doing so ever since.

Maintaining the LOACH, the TRINITY LOACH and our fast rescue craft is an expensive business, especially in terms of paint and ropes. We must also maintain a variety of safety items and keep them up to date. We are therefore always grateful for donations. Please make cheques payable to St. Paul's Trust Centre and send them to our head office address.