At the end of July, we welcomed a group of cubs, scouts and their leaders, who were on a camping trip to Somerset from Staffordshire. The group spent a couple of hours onboard learning to send messages using Morse equipment, led by our very own Morse expert, Mike. They were also each able to make […]
Our steamship welcomed Bideford District Photography Group onboard a couple of weeks ago; the group will be assisting with recording the impressive restoration progress achieved by our Freshspring volunteers. After an informative tour of the ship including a potted history of its career, the group were let loose to capture the essence of the vessel. […]
We had the pleasure of welcoming a group of home education families on board this week. On Monday 20th June, 16 children accompanied by their parents came to the Freshspring for a visit. The children were excited to explore the ship; learning about how ships communicated at sea before satellite and mobile phones with our volunteer […]
The long-awaited Christmas get together for the ship’s volunteers, helpers and Trust members, previously delayed by COVID finally took place on Friday 17th June on board the ship moored in Bideford harbour. Freshspring was certainly glowing (thanks to the recent hot weather) and received great attention from the guests, some of whom had travelled far and […]
We were pleased to share our ongoing steamship project with the BBC this month. Hear from our volunteers on why they love volunteering onboard and how it has made a real difference to their lives. Watch the full interview here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-devon-61719045
We had a fantastic day at the Bideford Bike Show on Sunday and were proud to be part of a well organised, community event alongside other local businesses and charities. We have never seen the quay so busy with bikes and this year was testament to the hard work and energy that goes into this […]
We will be reverting to opening on Sundays from 11am – 4pm from Sunday 12th June 2022 until the end of the season. We hope you would like to come and join us onboard! There is something for all the family from a children’s teddy bear hunt to exploring the mechanics of the steam engine or […]
We welcomed our youngest group of visitors last week, with 16 Reception children from Monkleigh Primary School spending the afternoon on board. The class split their visit to Bideford between the Burton Art Gallery and the ship, with 8 children on the ship at a time. As part of their studies on transport and history, […]
This week is ‘Mental Health Awareness Week’ (9 th -15 th May 2022) and as part of this national campaign, National Historic Ships UK are raising awareness around the positive impact that historic vessels can have on wellbeing and mental health. To recognise this week, our enthusiastic volunteers have been sharing their experiences of volunteering […]
Last month our chairman, John Puddy, shared a detailed presentation about our Steamship Freshspring project alongside other project presenters at a presentation ceremony held by Northam Town Council. The presentation gave insight not only into the very important history behind SS Freshspring, being registered with National Historic Ships as the only surviving vessel of her […]
We were delighted to have over 40 visitors join us on the Easter Bank holiday weekend. This was our opening weekend of the year and we were lucky to be greeted by sunshine, birdsong and the joy that Spring has finally arrived! Visitors enjoyed looking around the ship and learning all about her history, with […]
We are looking forward to welcoming you (the public) back onboard from Saturday 16th April (Easter weekend) from 11am until 4pm, and every Sunday thereafter throughout the season. To mark the Easter celebrations, we will be hosting an Easter challenge onboard for children with a small (edible) prize upon completion. The ladies from Bideford Women’s Institute came […]
Over the course of a week in March, 250 Year 8 students from Bideford College spent a day on the SS Freshspring moored alongside Bideford Quay as part of their ‘Enrichment Week’. Students walked down to Victoria Park from the college and split their day between activities in the park and onboard the ship. The […]
Steamship Freshspring (at Bideford Quay) opens to the public again in April. As such, we have a new paid, part-time role for a ‘Ship Engagement Officer’ to join the team and help us provide excellent customer service welcoming visitors on board every Saturday throughout the summer season. This new member of staff will support our […]
January has been a busy month for TeamFreshspring, as we repaint and repair the ship ready for opening to visitors in April 2022. We wanted to share some of the ‘behind the scenes’ snippets with you, here are some of our highlights from last month: The work onboard has even interested the local wildlife or […]
Today is #HeritageTreasuresDay and is a social media moment set up by the National Lottery Fund to celebrate the fantastic heritage projects that they have championed over the years. Please follow this link https://fb.watch/atpZecePVM/
Happy New Year! We are pleased to have started the year with a talk at the Women’s Institute in Bideford. Our chair, John Puddy, shared the history of our renowned Freshspring and how our team of volunteers have worked tirelessly to restore and preserve her. The group were delighted to hear how our ship is […]
So that’s a wrap! What a tremendous year it has been on board SS Freshspring. We would like to take the opportunity to thank all our visitors, volunteers, patrons and members for supporting us to preserve and restore our steamship. If we look back over the last 12 months we have: welcomed over 2,000+ visitors […]
Please see the Freshspring 2022 Calendar, which is in celebration of the 75th anniversary, at a cost (each) £6 inc pp. All proceeds will go towards the preservation of SS Freshspring and we thank you for your support. Please place your order by emailing membership@ssfreshspring.co.uk and indicating:Quantity:Payment(£):Please pay by BACS or Bank transfer to:CAF Bank […]
Representatives of the Trust attended a Marine event last week at Petroc College, Barnstaple, which covered many aspects of maritime activity, renewable energy opportunities in the SW, and the environment focusing on The North Devon Biosphere. Tom Hart, Yard Manager, Harland and Wolff (Appledore), provided an excellent presentation highlighting the history and future potential of […]
We are pleased to share this year’s Freshspring Christmas Cards. We love this year’s design as it manages to capture our steamship in all her glory. If you haven’t managed to visit us, we will be open again to the public from April 2022. Packs of 10 Freshspring Christmas Cards are available for £10 (posted […]
Thank you to everyone who joined us at our last event of the year, Sea Shanties and Seafood (31st October 2021). This special, ticketed event was planned in conjunction with our friends over at The Burton who celebrate their 70th anniversary this year, with the theme centred around ‘Food is Art’. We were pleased to […]
This weekend (Saturday 16th October 2021) will mark SS Freshspring’s 5th year berthed at Bideford Quay, North Devon. It is safe to say that during this time the ship has undergone an amazing amount of work including a new mast created from a tree, a restored wheelhouse and boat deck, painting, maintenance repairs and most […]
We are pleased to share our 2021 dry-dock survey report undertaken whilst in dry-dock at the Appledore shipyard earlier this year. The purpose of this report was to ascertain the general structural condition of Freshspring and to report on work undertaken. “The structural condition on lower parts of the hull is very good and provided […]