On Saturday 13th April we held our first Open Day at our winter premises in Islington Wharf Boatyard. The primary purpose for the day was to raise awareness of the charity, we wanted the public to see that the Falmouth Sail Training Ship is more than just about teaching sailing. We wanted people to see that we have a workshop, a boatshed and even tea and coffee making facilities! It made most sense to hold the Open Day on the weekend before Hardiesse was due to go back to her summer mooring for the sailing season. This would mean that everything is freshly painted, fully rigged and looking at its finest. Plus the workshop and boatshed would be relatively clear so that we can offer various activities and display things about the charity and the history.
As the weekend approached, posters were made and displayed at everywhere we could think of, local businesses were contacted to ask for donations that could be used as raffle / tombola prizes (a huge thank you to the generosity of the businesses of Falmouth, Penryn and the surrounding area) and a Treasure Hunt was created for children to be able to explore everything we have to offer and earn chocolate at the end of it! I went down to the Poly in Falmouth and collected old newsletter and newspaper articles that had been written about us over the past 60 years, these were displayed on Hardiesse’s dining table down below. As the day approached attention was paid to the weather forecast hoping that the rain would hold off just for one day. As luck would have it, the morning of the 13th of April was a blustery but dry one, everything was set up (including direction arrows to make sure that people could find their way). All that we needed was some members of the public to arrive.
The first person arrived 45 minutes before the gates were due to open, I took this as a good sign, we then had a steady flow of people throughout the day. It was great fun to talk to people who weren’t familiar with the organisation about what we do and how things work and where we came from. It was amazing to be visited by past crew members, some from the 90’s, some from the 80’s and one from 1946! The Treasure Hunt was a great hit as were the delicious homemade cakes that had been donated to us. As we’d hoped to achieve, we made lots of new connections and certainly raised the awareness of the Falmouth Sail Training Ship. On top of that we raised some funds thanks to everyone’s generosity. And there wasn’t a drop of rain throughout the whole day!
Thank you very much to everyone who came to support us and made the day the success that it was, watch this space for our next “big event”!
Michael Alway
Director, Activities and Development