A GROUP of brave teenage burns victims, including two from the York area, is embarking upon a four-day sea voyage from Whitby this week.

Felicity Wright, 14, of Huggate, near Driffield, and Austin Porter, 15, of York, will be among nine young people to sail on the James Cook, a 70ft ocean-going yacht owned by the Ocean Youth Trust.

The teenagers are patients at three specialist burns units, including Pinderfields in Wakefield.

Felicity, a pupil of Woldgate School, Pocklington, received burns to her stomach and upper legs when a pan of boiling water fell on her when she was ten.

Although she has finished her treatment at Pinderfields, she is still a member of the burns club there and has annual check-ups.

Her father, Noel, said: "She's doing well and she has taken up swimming very heavily, and is working towards her bronze lifeguard certificate.

"She seems to be quite excited and she's made out a list of provisions."

Felicity said: "It will be fun, apart from not having a shower for four days.

"We'll be learning to put up sails and cleaning the decks and stuff like that.

"I'll be there with my friend, Craig, and some of the doctors from the burns unit. It will be nice to see them again.

"The burns club also arranges a trip to camp every year and they've started up this Ocean Youth trip recently.

"I went on camp last year and it was fantastic. I did abseiling, which I'd done the year before and I love it."

The group is due to leave Whitby harbour at 2pm on Thursday with medical staff from the hospitals and the yacht's crew.

The children will be encouraged to write diaries during their voyage as they are taught sailing and personal development skills.

Smith & Nephew is sponsoring the voyage, which finishes on Sunday at the marina in Hull.

Ocean Youth Trust is a national educational sailing charity which has taken more than 120,000 people to sea since it was founded in 1960.