Portside Memories

Time and Tide’s Oral History Volunteers are set to interview people about their experiences of Portside life, today and in the past,  as part of a joint initiative between CoastNet and Great Yarmouth’s Time and Tide Museum, for Holding Back the Tide and the Our Great Yarmouth – Our Town Project. 

They would like to hear from people who have have memories of working at Great Yarmouth Port or work there today. They also want to hear from people who may have memories of visiting the Port and watching the ships

Natural History Explorers!

As part of their whole-of-school approach to Holding Back the Tide, pupils from St Lawrence’s Primary School have been looking at the natural heritage of their village.

They have been finding out about which animals and plants can be found in and around the river and estuary, considering if changes in Rowhedge are effecting the wildlife and also putting their ideas forward in a letter to the local Councillor about the waterfront, as they think about their village in the future.

A display of their work was on show as part of the Holding Back the Tide stall at the Rowhedge Regatta as pictured here.

Down Memory Lane……….

Is where the Holding Back the Tide team took attendees at this year’s Rowhedge Regatta. Visitors to the stall were invited to learn more about the village’s heritage through the display of old photographs prepared by Dorothy Garratt of Rowhedge’s Museum Group including an aerial image of Rowhedge’s waterfront in the 1920’s.

Nestled on the banks of the tidal River Colne, Rowhedge is still very much a seafaring community today with locals enjoying the opportunity to sail, motor, kayak or row from the village quayside. Estuaries and tidal rivers are iconic to the Essex coastline and Rowhedge itself has a rich martime history, enjoying its own ship building heyday between 1890 and 1914.

The stall also provided the opportunity for people to share their knowledge and experience of life in the ‘Saltwater Village’ (the actual name of a book about Rowhedge itself) which will then lead to more in depth oral history interviews in particular about the Sand and Iron Works which used to operate along the waterside.

Making Bunting at Youth Group

The Last Resort Youth Group (for Rowhedge and surrounding area), meets every Wednesday night to catch up with friends and have fun. There is football, pool, table-tennis plus plenty other games to play, magazines to read, a tuck shop and always some type of art activity to be getting on with!

In preparation for last months village Regatta, the group helped out with making a new set of bunting to adorn this annual quay side celebration. The bunting was sewn together from a combination of triangular flags made out of upholstery swatches and square flags painted by youth group members with designs inspired by the River Colne and maritime heritage of the village.

See the pictures below for the final product on show!

Happy ‘International Day for Sharing Life Stories’!

Human beings are interested in two things. They are interested in reality and interested in telling about it.
– Gertrude Stein

Storytelling and living history is a key part of Holding Back the Tide and further understanding of the story of change on the East Anglian Coast.

The team had hoped to hold their Oral History Training Course as part of celebrations for ‘International Day for Sharing Life Stories’ instead they were one week early! That aside, in reality the project is celebrating it everyday!

The Art of Oral History

Or not as the case may be! That was the message from Roger Kitchen of Kitchen’s Ink and the trainer for Holding Back the Tide’s oral history training day held at CoastNet offices in Rowhedge last week on Friday 9 May.

The aim of the day was to demystify the technique and according to Roger you dont need to be Michael Parkinson!

Seaside souvenirs a thing of the past?

Destination Felixstowe!  Arriving bang on high tide, an experience only heightened by the spring equinox, full moon, and freezing northeasterly winds, we found this east-coast town putting on the perfect seaside show!
After we dared and dodged the huge waves smashing over the sea front we made our way down to Languard Fort – the real reason for our visit. We had come to learn about another woman’s story of coastal change.
The story of Fran Crowe’s journey, walking along 200kms of east-coast beach, over one year, to collect 46,000 pieces of rubbish* and literally ‘save some sea’, is something to behold.

Project Blog a First!

Heritage Lottery Fund – Grants Officer, Sandra Hirons, said that Holding Back the Tide is the first ‘East of England’ funded project she has come across with a Blog!

As well as a general communications tool, the initial aim of setting up a project blog was three fold: i) to serve as a record of project activities and progress; ii) enable particpiants to link up with each other; and iii) generate and capture additional information on coastal change.

Holding Back the Tide is only one month into its schedule, and so blog content will inevitably be less to start with but I hope that will change as the project picks up speed.

Lets put it to the test!

Local Communities to share stories of Coastal Change in East Anglia

Pamela Pearson, also known as ‘the Wallasea Mermaid’, will be the first person to share her story as part of Holding Back the Tide – a new Heritage Lottery funded project delivered by CoastNet.

Pamela grew up on the banks of the Crouch Estuary in Essex where her parents ran the Wallasea Yacht Club. Pictured here, at the age of 20, in her homemade mermaid’s tail you can understand why she went on to be a professional synchronised swimmer – having nursed her passion for being on and in the waters of the Crouch from a young age.