Pirates Ahoy at Funchal 500 Tall Ships Regatta in Falmouth
‘Captain Jack Sparrow’ will storm the Tall Ships with bands of story-telling pirates when the ships are in the Docks for the Funchal 500 Tall Ships Regatta. Visitors to the ships will be entertained by pupils in the guise of pirates from schools throughout Falmouth as they arrive on board the Tall Ships.
A fascinating series of storytelling workshops have been rolled out to the schools in after school clubs in the Summer Term, to actively link the wealth of stories and history behind the Tall Ships with a live project for pupils that connects with the ships visit to the port. Theatre practitioners have worked with school children from year 3 to year 8 at St Francis, Marlborough, Falmouth Primary, King Charles, St Mary’s and Falmouth Community School, to inspire children to collect or create stories around a theme of travel, migration and the sea.
“I wanted there to be a “hands on” outcome that would excite the children whatever their age” commented John Frankland, who co-ordinated the event as part of the Falmouth Extended Schools programme. “This whole project started with an idea to link the local Falmouth Schools to the Tall Ships event. I thought it was important that children should have an active connection that utilised the visit rather than simply being spectators”.
The final stage of the project will be the creation of a book of the children’s work, in conjunction with the live storytelling sessions during the Tall Ships visit to the port. Pupils have been making masks and puppets, and brushing up on their drama and improvisation skills to help bring their stories to life.
Catch their stories on 10th and 11th September or buy the book (£3) from Falmouth Tourist Information Centre, the Maritime Museum, Falmouth Bookseller or the Cornish Store. The book will be launched at Falmouth Art Gallery on 4th September, though you will have to wait until the actual event to catch a glimpse of “Jack Sparrow”.
Universities, colleges and schools have all made the most of the visiting Tall Ships. The Funchal 500 Tall Ships Regatta has been the starting point for University College Falmouth Journalism students to produce a Tall Ships Diaries magazine and web project - students will take part in the race and document their adventures by video, which can be seen on their website. Cornwall College students studying for their BTEC National Diploma in Travel and Tourism will be stewarding visitors in the Docks, Tourism Foundation Degree students will be running an Information Point on Events Square to gain valuable event experience, whilst Truro and Penwith College students will be assisiting with the inter-ship sports activities. The story telling project has included primary and secondary school children, and an art competition being run by John Dyer, the Regatta’s official artist, will encourage younger children to express their creativity in a piece of artwork. The event and the experiences it offers have inspired a wide range of projects and is regarded by many as a valuable educational tool.
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