HUNDREDS of children will benefit from a multi-faceted event in Plymouth Sound, which will help "rekindle the spirit of discovery", as well as boosting tourism.

The Blue Mile will see participants swim, paddle or sail around a mile-long course, helping to promote physical exercise in schools, which will be encouraged to get involved.

John Searson, principle adviser in children's achievements to Plymouth City Council, said it would also help youngsters discover the rich history associated with the area, as well as the marine life and the pressures it faces.

Glenn Jordan, Plymouth City Council's Cabinet member for leisure, culture and sport, hopes it could eventually grow to equal the Transat race, which brought millions of pounds of revenue into the area.

Mr Searson said the council would encourage schools to get involved with the "brilliant" event, which will run on the weekend of July 3 and 4.

Benefits will include training youngsters to take part, to give them a legacy of fitness which will go beyond a "quick splash". It will have the mutual advantage of helping schools to meet their physical education obligations, while pupils would get to unearth the many opportunities to get active on the water.

He said: "My experience is that many youngsters don't really have much to do with the water at all, and don't know what's available to them. Plymouth is odd like that – if you're in the middle of the city, you could almost have no idea that you're right on the coast."

Mr Searson said many young people find their entertainment through games consoles, the Internet or iPods. "It can be a very solitary existence if we're not careful," he said.

He believes the combination of a "passion" about green issues and the event's figurehead, triple round-the-world sailor Conrad Humphreys, will easily engage the pupils with the project. "It's a great opportunity for them to get involved and try something new, whether it's windsurfing, kayaking or rowing," he said.

Mr Searson said the location was another educational tool, which he hopes will ignite a proud interest in the rich history of Plymouth. The course starts at the Mayflower Steps, from where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail, and will end in the spot where Sir Francis Chichester returned as the first man to circumnavigate the globe solo in 1967.

"This is an opportunity for the whole community to appreciate the amazing cultural DNA we have got as a city," Mr Humphreys said. "The spirit of discovery is still strong in Plymouth, but it needs to be rekindled, too."

Beau Le Bredonchel is involved in developing the environmental camp for the University of Plymouth's faculty of science and technology, which is working with Plymouth's National Marine Aquarium.

Among the attractions will be an immersion vision theatre – an inflatable dome where films are projected on to the inside walls, to create a realistic experience. "If you're supposed to be on a yacht, you actually feel a little sea-sick," Ms Le Bredonchel said.

The area will also feature vintage diving gear, and demonstrations of the science involved in weather predictions, as well as activities to educate visitors on what lies beneath the surface of Plymouth Sound.

"It could be a promise to use less plastic bags, to recycle or to pick up litter – it's all about getting people to do their bit for the environment for the future conservation of the seas," Ms Le Bredonchel said. "It may be something small, but if everyone did it, it would have a positive impact."

Coun Glenn Jordan said other benefits of the race would include enhancing Plymouth's reputation across the globe, as other coastal cities look to the first host when they are arranging their own versions. He said: "Plymouth can do these events, and do them well. The Transat brought 100,000 people into this city, and this has got to have the potential to grow to that kind of scale, if not bigger."

To find out more about the project, or to register for the Blue Mile on July 3 and 4, visit www.thebluemile.org