We were delighted to welcome storyteller and boat-builder Gail McGarva and her Story Boat to Beer Village on the 5th and 6th of July this year.
On Friday 5 July, the Story Boat began its journey from the Square to the Jubilee accompanied by the children of Beer Primary School who performed a Sea Shanty sing-a-long at 3pm.
The Story Boat remained at the Jubilee on Saturday 6 July and everyone was invited to come and meet Gail and hear the story of the Mother Boat. A free creative writing workshop with poet Sarah Acton also took place on the Saturday morning on Beer Beach.
Gail commented, “When you climb aboard the Story Boat you enter a miniature world of the sea made from an upturned fishing boat of 1923. She is a celebration of our local maritime heritage and our instinctive connection to the sea. As a traditional wooden boatbuilder I love to work with larch and oak, shaping the wood from tree to sea. I am looking forward immensely to this collaborative project with the Thelma Hulbert Gallery bringing the Story Boat to Beer with her journey – from tree to sea.”
The project, was undertaken in partnership with Thelma Hulbert Gallery, East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Arts Council England.
