Fundraising Dinner at Brents Tavern Sat 2nd July

If you were lucky enough to have one of only 32 tickets for last year’s Swing the Bridge Dinner at the Brents Tavern

You won’t want to miss this year’s Summer Dinner!

Chris Wright at the Fleur on Thursday 19th

Chris Wright on Space, Time and Faversham Creek

Thursday 19th May at 7.30 pm

in the Fleur Hall, Gatefield Lane

ALSO

The AGM

The AGM

was attended by over 90 members

who voted to ratify and agree the resolution of the 18th March 2014…

and after the formal proceedings, heard reports on the Purifier Building progress, Apprentice Training and future Communications…

re-appointed Trustee/Directors retiring by rotation and appointed during the year…

heard from Brenda Chester and Alan Thorne about the very successful employment courses being run in the Purifier, and saw the boats made by the people on the courses…

raised £264 from the raffle, kindly drawn by Lady Melville

introduced Claire Mason, the new Volunteer Coordinator …

thanked Jo Ludlow with flowers for her work as Company Secretary

presented Chris Wright, resigning as Chairman, with a framed drawing of the Barge Henry, by Hugh Perks, as a thankyou for three years of leadership…

and some went to the pub after..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Evening with the Trust

Last night, our Patrons, the Countess Sondes and Sir David Melville, and the Chairman and Trustees, entertained a number of invited guests to a tour of the Purifier and later a reception on TSB Repertor, [Many thanks to David & Elaine Pollock]. This was to introduce the Trust, its aims, history and future, to a group of people not previously involved or fully aware of us.  An inspirational talk was given by Tim Stonor, which can be seen in full below.

http://stonor-st-anns.org/2015/09/02/the-future-of-faversham-creek/

Spring Evening Talks at the Fleur

Do you remember the Eye of the Wind

The Trust and friends have invited a group of people who have memories of the fitting out of the Eye of the Wind, in Faversham in 1973 for an evening of reminiscence about the Eye of the Wind: The Faversham Years, on Saturday February 21st.

The evening will consist of  a three part film showing;  The History of Eye of the Wind,  The Restoration in Faversham, the Departure from Faversham 
 Party and the Beginning of the Voyage to Australia

David Beavan, skipper for the Leila Trust 
 will talk about the the Continuing Relevance of Tall Ships in the modern world – they are just starting a project to take 400 people from Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth to sea, possibly leading to apprenticeships or training for the offshore windfarms. An inspiring role for a Tall Ships Trust. They have also offered a berth to an unemployed or otherwise disadvantaged person from Faversham. Watch this space!

The invitations for this event were limited by the capacity of the Fleur Hall, but the hope is to use the evening to start to gather more information about relatively recent history in the Creek. The Eye of the Wind restoration was a big event which has not really been documented in Faversham’s records and the Trust would like to start to gather up more memories, not only of the Eye but of other events on the Creek.

If you have any memories, photos or other mementos of the time the Eye was here in the 1970s or of any other interesting restorations or other events in the last fifty years or so, please let us know. We are hoping to run another Eye of the Wind evening later in the year in a larger venue and hope to be able to run others along the same lines, sharing and recording living memories.

The Wildlife on the Creek by Bob Gomes Tomorrow 22nd July

Do Not Miss the Last Talk of the Summer

On Tuesday 22nd July, Tomorrow,

Bob Gomes will give the talk on the

Wildlife of the Creek

In the Fleur de Lys Hall, Gatefield Lane.

Usual format, Talk at 2.30 and Tea and cakes after, donations kindly accepted towards the costs of the hall etc.

 

Next Tuesdays Talk – Dr Pat Reid, Archaeologist

Tuesday 24 June at 2.30pm

in the Fleur Hall, Gatefield Lane.

Dr Pat Reid will talk about the
“The Archaeology of the Upper Creek”

Usual format, Talk at 2.30 and Tea and cakes after, donations kindly accepted towards the costs of the hall etc.

Next months lecture on ‘The Wildlife of the Creek’ will be on 22 July

 

The Race in the Basin

A peaceful start

Sunday saw our second annual dinghy race in the Faversham Creek Basin successfully completed in good weather with a nice breeze; in fact unlike last years flat calm, there were some interesting puffs to liven things up a bit.

return on the first lap

the lead changes

the puffs

Twice around the buoys for the eight boats, twice as many as last year, and won by twelve year old Ella Jameson in her laser, Whistle.

There was a good crowd and many followed the race along the footpath to the turning buoy at Morrisons wharf, and back.

Deputy mayor Cllr Jane Hawkins very kindly agreed to do the starting and finishing honours with the air horn, nervous at first, she quickly got the hang of it and then there was no stopping her. She was delighted to give the cup to Ella, who at 12 has a future as a sailor; dad is the shipwright and sailor, Simon Grillet.

the winner

Trust Chairman Prof Chris Wright thanked everyone who had taken part, including the Sea Cadets, and said the race was started to show how much the community would benefit once the Creek Basin has been brought back into use for local people with an interest in boating, and as an event for spectators and visitors.

stacked boat

One of the contestants, Alan Thorne, raced his brand-new nesting dinghy ‘The PuriFlyer’ which has been built in the Trust’s Purifier Building. It splits into two separate halves which can be stacked on the deck of a boat.

too close

Another contestant, local fireman Tim Mulcahy who learned to sail on the Creek as a schoolboy, had bought his boat only 3 days ago, but gave Ella some competition, as did Alan in the Puriflier, and Alan Staley.

It  was a great atmosphere, something that the Creek always seems to generate, and we look forward to the next Creek event, the Nautical Festival in July [12/13] organised by the Kent Sail Association.

 

 

Duelling on the last lap

Andrew in his folding boat

 

 

mmm I need to modify my rig..

 

Boys in a boat

young sailors

Chris Wright and our Patron Sir David Melville

Boat Folding

Dinghy Race – Sunday 15 June

Dinghy Race – Sunday 15 June
2.30 pm – Creek Basin

Please wish for good weather and a fair wind on Sunday 15 June, when we’ll be holding the second Dinghy Race in the Basin. Come and watch the start from the green by the Bridge, and follow the race along the footpath to Flood Lane.

We had to do more than wish to make sure it happens – Kent Highways were going to close the Bridge that day in order to repair the surface! Fortunately we were able to persuade them to postpone the closure to the following Sunday.

June Tea and Talk
Dr Pat Reid
The Archaeology of the Creek

Join us in the Fleur Hall, Gatefield Lane, on Tuesday, 24 June at 2.30 pm for a talk about the archaeology of the Creek, followed by tea and delicious cakes.

July Events

The Purifier Building will be open for the first three Saturdays in July, as part of the Faversham Society’s Open House Scheme.

On Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 July we will be supporting the Kent Sail Association’s Nautical Festival on Town Quay and Front Brents.