Steamship Freshspring Trust held its 23rd Annual General Meeting on Saturday 22 August, bringing together members to reflect on another busy year and look ahead to an exciting future for the ship and the Trust.

The meeting provided an opportunity to recognise the tremendous contribution of Freshspring’s volunteers, staff, members and supporters, whose work continues to develop the ship as both an important part of North Devon’s maritime heritage and a valuable community and educational resource.

A growing role in the community

Education and community engagement remain at the heart of the Trust’s work. The Young Shipwrights project continued to go from strength to strength, with more than 150 children from three local primary schools taking part. The project was supported by Navantia UK, whose staff and apprentices worked alongside the schools and Freshspring volunteers.

The Trust has also begun developing its Lego Spike project, creating further opportunities for young people to explore engineering and maritime skills through practical activities.

Freshspring welcomed approximately 2,639 visitors during the past year, while more than 3,000 people engaged with the Trust through local events and activities. Family Fun Days proved particularly successful, helping to introduce new audiences, young and older, to the ship.

The Trust has also continued to play an active role in developing Bideford and the Torridge as a Heritage Harbour, strengthening connections with other heritage vessels and maritime organisations.

photo: pupils with the cardboard boats they built

Towards a return to service 

A major focus for the Trust remains its long-term ambition to return Freshspring to operational service. 

Having progressed through feasibility and viability work, the Trust is now preparing for the next stage: a return-to-service study. This will examine the technical, operational and certification requirements involved in converting the historic cargo vessel to carry passengers for the first time. 

Environmental sustainability is also an important part of this work, with the Trust exploring alternative fuels and technologies and developing plans to work alongside universities and other commercial organisations. The aim is to preserve Freshspring’s heritage while ensuring that her future is relevant to the challenges of tomorrow. 

Supporting Freshspring’s future

 The Trust ended the financial year in a stable position, with visitor income and donations increasing. Members also heard about significant support from charitable funders, including the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Alex Ferry Foundation and Swire Foundation.An unexpected £20,000 grant from People’s Postcode Lottery provided a welcome boost and will help support the Trust’s ongoing development. 

The AGM also approved the Trust’s accounts and confirmed a number of changes to the Board. Michael Teare and Bill Blythe were re-elected as Trustees, while Kevin Selby and Mike Greener joined the Board. John Puddy was reappointed as Chair, and Bill Blythe’s appointment as Deputy Chair was confirmed. 

Looking forward

The AGM highlighted just how much SS Freshspring has achieved through the commitment of its volunteers, members and supporters. From restoring and maintaining the ship to inspiring young people, welcoming visitors and planning for a possible return to service, there is a growing recognition that SS Freshspring has an important future ahead.

The Chair thanked everyone for their continued support, with the meeting closing on a positive note as the Trust looks forward to the next stage of SS Freshspring’s journey.

After the formal meeting a buffet lunch was enjoyed accompanied by the ship’s band and closed with a fascinating presentation by Tom Maund from Sky Relics, who is a valued supporter of the Trust. 

Along with the presentation of his photography, film and 3-D imagery, Tom showed excerpts of his work with SS Freshspring Trust which members thoroughly enjoyed.  Chair, John Puddy, thanked Tom for the excellent presentation and videos featuring SS Freshspring and expressed his eagerness to see what comes next, which was echoed by everyone present.

To see the full videos featuring SS Freshspring and more of Tom’s work, https://skyrelics.uk/video/follow this link

 

Photos: Tom Maund, Sky Relics. Video presentation