RISING TIDE PROJECT UNVEILED

A group of newly-trained boatbuilders whose lives are now on a better “tack” thanks to a unique project regenerating coastal communities on Wales’ western coast were amongst those celebrating its official launch in Milford Haven.

The 10 men and 2 women, aged between 17 and 50, are the first to take part in a specialist 10-week training course which aims to help the long-term unemployed get back into the world of work.

It is being run as part of Rising Tide, one of the largest European Interreg IVA-funded projects of its kind, which aims to regenerate coastal communities in North, Mid and West Wales and Southern Ireland. Wales has a coastline of almost 750 miles and 60 per cent of the population of the country live along this coastline. The economic forces have not necessarily been kind to these communities and this project sets out to create a regenerative process in the coastal areas of West Wales and Southern Ireland by developing events, activities and projects with local stakeholders, in the expansion of maritime tourism and the promotion of local enterprise. It aims to invest in maritime events in towns within these areas over a three year period to improve local economies, whilst also creating sustainability for the future.

Led by Milford Haven Port Authority, the Rising Tide project covers six counties on the West Wales Coast - Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Gwynedd, Anglesey and Conwy – and in Southern Ireland, the South Eastern counties of Waterford, Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny and South Tipperary. Partners in the venture are Pembrokeshire College's Marine Engineering Training (MITEC), The John F Kennedy Trust and Wexford Local Development.

Welsh students on the Rising Tide course, which is based at the MITEC centre on Milford docks, learn about the craft and technicalities of boatbuilding and put their skills into practice by contributing to the building of a replica 19th century fishing boat, the Tenby Lugger. Irish students are based in County Wexford, learning similar skills and building replicas of Irish traditional small craft.

At the launch on the dock side at Milford Docks in Milford Haven, guests met event organisers from all over Wales and Southern Ireland, visited the training workshop to see how work was progressing on the Tenby Lugger, and toured MITEC’s facilities.

Richard James, Welsh Project Co-ordinator, said that a further number of students would be signed up to join the course over the next three years. “We are delighted to see this project formally launched – it’s a very exciting opportunity,” he said.

“Maritime heritage can be viewed as a real economic driver, however the maritime heritage of both Wales and Ireland have been sadly neglected. Those small organisations that have been involved in it to date have been underfunded and often too locally focussed, lacking interpretive support and direction.

“This project is setting out to change that, working closely with “Heritage Afloat” to create a robust, unified body that will bring attention to the maritime heritage whilst helping to secure the associated culture and history for the future. Through this unification, participation in UK and European Maritime Heritage forums will provide the support and information necessary to improve interpretation and highlight the Maritime history.

“This is not a hobby or a whim - it is an effort by enthusiastic and energetic individuals to preserve and demonstrate that which gave us our culture.”