Lynher CIC – always striving for plain sailing

SSE Cornwall Community Business Trade Up Fellow Barbara Bridgman from Lynher CIC has had to adapt during the pandemic...

Lynher CIC was established in 2016 to save the Tamar sailing barge Lynher from demolition. Directors Dominic and Barbara Bridgman, based at Cremyll, South East Cornwall, started the restoration project by using their own funds to save the barge. Following a successful Lottery application and community engagement to continue the conservation effort to make Lynher’s hull watertight, on 7th May 2017 Lynher was re-launched after 14 years out of the water.

It took another two years to complete the work on the deck, machinery and rigging. However, the directors at Lynher CIC had no choice but to start trading in order to raise the income required to complete the works. Our income consisted of training young people and communities on the Plymouth waterways in seamanship and boatbuilding skills; using the barge as a static platform whilst continuing to work on the restoration. Thanks to SSE Cornwall and Power to Change, Lynher CIC was enrolled on the 2018 Trade Up Programme which greatly supported this delicate development phase of the CIC and helped to consolidate its governance.

2020 was supposed to be the year of consolidation for Lynher CIC. Our plans were to deliver a full programme of training courses and river voyages to a number of community groups and to the wider public during the Mayflower 400 summer celebrations, including week-long voyages for disadvantaged primary school children supported by Plymouth City Council following a successful crowdfunding campaign.

Alas, we had to cancel the whole year’s events but after a few weeks of readjusting the compass, Lynher CIC developed a number of ways to connect with our community and grow our public participation. We took part in the Plymouth Virtual History Festival and engaged people through presentations about the Lynher’s heritage, which stems from its vast history related to the shipping and trade of the River Tamar during the post-industrial era. We also discussed the history of the Mayflower dinghy and our personal celebration of VE Day, remembering Lynher's contributions to both wars.

We also have been reaching out to people through our videos whilst working on Lynher, describing the seamanship and conservation techniques we use to maintain and operate such a mighty vessel. We answered local demand from a small number of young people to deliver some restricted and distanced sailing tuitions from the Lynher’s mooring using our sailing dinghies; separating groups into small bubbles of two people from the same household. In fact, we are experiencing more local demand for activities as the lockdown is having an enduring impact on everyone’s mental health. This will need to be addressed from now on if we are to stay balanced until this crisis is over.

In order to engage remotely with our community on the Rame Peninsula during the lockdown period, we got together with our friend and colleague Sally Turner, local community artist and boatbuilder, to create the Lynher Mosaic Project. This project engages people by inviting them to collect 'dock dung pottery’ and be inspired by Sally’s tutorials to make your own mosaic tile. You can even contribute to Sally’s big mosaic of the Lynher under sail by helping to collect the pieces. The project has provided a welcome distraction for families and individuals during lockdown by encouraging them to get outdoors and hunt for remains over a century old scattered everywhere along the waterways. There have been some incredible finds and some amazing family discoveries! The project will continue throughout the summer if anyone would like to take part - even if you are in different parts of Cornwall, you can be inspired by Sally’s work and adapt it to your own area.

As we keep on maintaining Lynher in order to be ready to sail when possible, our focus has shifted to the Lynher’s workshop at Cremyll. We are refurbishing the space to minimise the risk of infection and provide any health & safety required for small groups of up to 4 people to follow our vocational courses. It is important to appreciate the risks related to Covid but also the damage that social distancing rules are provoking in our society. By finding a balance where we can work and, in doing so, provide activities and support to our community, we will get through this period stronger and more resilient.

Lynher CIC

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