Forty-eight schoolchildren from all over the UK will set sail from Cardiff on Tuesday 17 September for the voyage of a lifetime on board Stavros S Niarchos, a 200ft square-rigged brig. They will spend nine days aboard this fine tall ship and sail in to London on 25 September.

Representing twenty-four schools across the UK, the students have been picked to crew the ship, which is owned by the Sail Training Association, and specially chartered for the schoolchildren by HSBC.

With a professionally qualified crew showing them the ropes, the students will sail the Stavros across the English Channel to a port in France or Holland. They will then set sail for London, where traffic will be stopped as 108-year-old Tower Bridge opens to hail their arrival on 25 September. The teenagers will be manning the yards on the 118ft tall masts as the ship sails under the bridge.

This is the second year running that the HSBC Education Trust has organised this event. Alan Thomas, a teacher at Pembroke Comprehensive in Pembroke, Wales who will have two schoolchildren aboard Stravros, said: “I was delighted to be able to offer such a fantastic opportunity to my students. I know that this will be a real voyage of discovery, where those taking part will learn a great deal about themselves and their ability to achieve their goals in life.”

The HSBC Education Trust was founded to help communities across the UK to provide opportunities for young people. Through its work, the Trust gives schoolchildren inspirational experiences beyond the classroom (which many schools may not be able to provide from their day-to-day budgets) designed to develop them and help raise standards in education.

The Sail Training Association is Britain’s leading maritime youth development organisation and its work with young people is endorsed by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). The voyage qualifies for the residential section of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award.