conserving maritime heritage
Lucy Lavers is a single-screw Liverpool type Life-boat, built in 1940 for Aldeburgh Lifeboat Station. Her first service was the Dunkirk Rescue operation. She later served as a relief Lifeboat at Wells-next-the-Sea and elsewhere on the East Coast. She has been donated to us for restoration by the Dunkirk Little Ships Restoration Trust. Our first project is to restore Dunkirk Veteran Lucy Lavers to her former glory (see restoration work in progress) and our second project to take her back to Dunkirk by sea encouraging visitors and schools involvement on the way.
We are delighted to have been awarded a Heritage Lottery Grant at the end of 2012, to restore, film and tell the story of Lifeboat Lucy Lavers - see our progress.
Lucy Lavers background and photos
Follow the current restoration work on Lucy Lavers
Supporting Lucy Lavers restoration
.JPG "whelker Harvester, photo by David Morris")
Do support us by joining as a Friend....
Model of former Wells lifeboat Ernest Tom Neathercote now on display
Our Visitor Centre in Stiffkey (off Greenway, Stiffkey, NR23 1QF) is open during school holidays on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays 10 - 4.00, and during term time on Saturdays and Sundays 10-4.00 MAP
Fishing Family open day at Visitor Centre. See details. See Film
Anglia News report here by Kate Prout
We have had some generous donations of boats: Crab boat Pegasus from Bernard Thain and family, whelker Harvester (above) from Graeme Peart, crab boat Star from Ernie Dewhurst and a mussel flat from Cyril Southerland. These boats join whelker Bessie and crab boat Black Beauty donated by Andy Frary
We welcome volunteers to join the team to help in many ways - do contact us to discuss.
We are creating an educational film and photo archive of these working boats (see catalogue).
We are filming the stories and lives of lifeboat crew members who served on Lucy Lavers and other lifeboats who were the fishermen making their livings using boats like Black Beauty crab boat (above), and whelker Bessie.
We are also filming the restoration of lifeboat Lucy Lavers.
There are now over eighty films and many collections of photographs.
These will soon be accompanied by education packs for schools to help them use the films and plan visits to see the maritime history and boat restoration.
RESCUE WOODEN BOATS (Registered Charity 1144180) 14 Norton Street, Burnham Norton, King's Lynn, Norfolk PE31 8DR
info@rescuewoodenboats.com www.rescuewoodenboats.com +44 (0) 7920 760238
“North Norfolk Crabber” triptych painting by James Dodds
