The Tamar Barge Lynher is in need of equipment and materials to carry out her winter refit so that she will be able to open her doors to the public in 2025.
Lynher is a Tamar sailing barge built in 1896 in Calstock by James Goss, a renowned boatbuilder. After a laborious life serving the waterways by carrying stones, she was laid to rest in the quarry that owned her in the late 1960s. In 1989 a Cornishman from Newquay, Charlie Force, decided to dig her out of the mud and rebuild her at Morwellham Quay. Following a successful restoration, Lynher was sold to a private owner in 2001. In 2004 the owner brought her to Cremyll to repair some of the structure and she was abandoned there in the local boatyard as a result of the owner being unable to finance the repairs.
Lynher CIC was established in 2016 to save Lynher, which was going to be destroyed as the boatyard changed ownership. A community of enthusiasts rallied together to restore the hull and move her out of the premises in 2017. Since then the directors of Lynher CIC continued to fundraise in order to complete the full restoration, giving her two engines, (one diesel and one electric) and restoring the interior to reflect the Victorian era in which she was built.
When fully operational and licensed to carry passengers on the Plymouth waterways, Lynher started to trade in 2018. Educational contracts through schools and Sport England were secured in order to subsidise underprivileged communities to sail Lynher. During the pandemic years, the Culture Recovery Fund provided opportunities for hundreds of school children to experience heritage in action and learn STEAM subjects as well as providing a platform to perform music and circus skills on Lynher's spacious Victorian deck.
Following the re-opening after the pandemic, Lynher CIC struggled to find new fundraising opportunities to provide education afloat to communities whilst at the same time private work declined with the cost of living crisis rising sharply and the cost of inflation increasing the price of equipment and materials.
The directors and volunteers continued to maintain Lynher using the CIC's own reserves, however Lynher was once again at risk of declining into disrepair if more income could not be raised.
The decision to move Lynher to Exeter was taken in summer 2024 in order to allow the vessel to be more accessible to a wider public and have the opportunity of raising enough income to cover the operation's costs.
Lynher CIC now rely on volunteers help and donations to give Lynher some much needed TLC. If Lynher manages to survive yet another difficult time and come back more beautiful than ever, she will be fully accessible from Exeter Quay. The public and communities alike will be able to experience Lynher and connect with their local maritime heritage
Her owners have launched a crowdfunder aiming to raise £3,000 for equipment and materials to carry out her winter refit.
Zone
South West