I would like to congratulate 10-year-old Ella on her call to the council to keep the Hengistbury Head centre open (Have Your Say, June 11).

As a member of the older generation I should like to share my experience of sailing, which I didn’t start at such a young age but perhaps it may strike a chord with others.

I lived land-locked until I was 26, my only experience of boats being a rowing boat on Canoe Lake in Portsmouth.

When I married and moved to Christchurch in 1956, my husband, a keen sailor, bought an old broad beamed sailing boat and taught me to sail.

It is the only way I have found of suddenly being in another dimension.Perhaps gliders or parachutists feel something similar, but the earth-bound, never.

The early feelings of panic are quickly dispelled by a good teacher. The ability to enjoy an experience that you can control, overcome fears, incompetence and panic are all invaluable lessons in life. Everyone who has the opportunity to learn to sail will gain immeasurable life skills.

Myra Handley, Stanpit, Christchurch