Ten thousand attend Silloth port 150th anniversary weekend
Last updated at 09:17, Monday, 10 August 2009
More than 10,000 people flocked to Silloth to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the town’s historic docks.
A weekend-long event was held to mark the opening of the port on August 3, 1859 – effectively the birth of Silloth as a town.
Visitors were given a rare chance to step inside the dock area and explore a range of heritage boats and ships, including the deep-sea trawler Jacinta.
The skies were equally crowded, with visits from a Royal Navy Sea King helicopter and the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
And on the ground, entertainment included the Blowjangles Saxophone Band and Britain’s Got Talent belly dance troupe the Urban Gypsies.
Alistair Wright, 33, grew up in Silloth and jumped at the chance to explore the docks with his son Finlay, five.
Mr Wright, of Sandsfield Park, Carlisle, said: “I think it’s brilliant. When I was growing up there were lots of ships around the docks carrying all sorts of cargo, so we thought it would be nice to have a look around.”
And Silloth resident Jo Douglas, 31, said it was good to see the town coming together.
She added: “I’ve seen parts of the docks before, but not really taken too much notice. I think it’s important for people to be able to find out more about what goes on here.”
The idea for the event came from Captain Chris Puxley, a former sailor and harbour master at Silloth for the past 19 years. He has recently written a book on the town’s history, called The Port of Silloth: 1859 - 2009.
He said: “It was an idea I had a year or two ago. I thought we ought to do something about the anniversary, so why not make a party out of it?
“So I organised the vessels and some of the flights, and realised it was becoming a bit more than I could cope with.”
A team of volunteers helped him form the Silloth 150 Committee, chaired by county councillor Tony Markley, to plan the celebrations. They also arranged an exhibition on the port’s history, which runs at the Solway Coast Discovery Centre in Silloth until August 16.
He added: “The port is a major part of the local economy and of the town itself. And I think the future for us is quite rosy, in that fuel costs and environmental considerations may be creating a trend for businesses to transport more goods by ship.”
First published at 09:16, Monday, 10 August 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk
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Capt. Puxley and his team are to be congratulated on a brilliant effort. It was a great day out and i wish it was on every year!
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This event was no where near as good as i expected after seeing th efull page spread in this newspaper last week. A real disappointment
Posted by Ash on 12 August 2009 at 17:05