In April 2010, one of the dinghies used in the 1974 film of Swallows and Amazons was sold at auction. A group of dedicated fans had worked hard in the preceding month to raise awareness and their numbers grew to 83, each one donating to the appeal. Having secured this unique vintage boat, we now wish to maintain her so that Ransome fans from around the UK can sail in her, experiencing sailing "just like in the books". This is no museum exhibit! The first sailing event was in April 2011, and many more are planned.
If you would like to become a part of this project, and have a chance to sail in the 'Swallow', please get in touch with Magnus Smith at info@sailransome.org and discuss where you'd like to get afloat. We welcome everyone; young or old, even if you can't sail. We are still looking for donations to the project, in order to pay for safety equipment, so please consider if you are able to help financially or by donating your time. Our thanks go out to everyone who has donated already. During 2010 Swallow was repaired and revarnished by Patterson Boatworks in the Lake District to make her seaworthy again. Varnish was donated by International Paints. We are very graful to both firms for supporting our project!
The winning auction bid would not have been possible had the Nancy Blackett Trust not handled the financial side of the appeal, and made it simple for us to get a 28% boost from 'Gift Aid'. Our deepest thanks to them for stepping in to help. They worked hard to assist our group.
If you wish to be kept informed of progress and news, please email the word "subscribe" to info@sailransome.org and we will send a newsletter every other month.
|
Original film |
Keep the 'Swallow' sailing for all Arthur Ransome fans to enjoy |
