Since her restoration the 1895 Brixham Trawler Pilgrim has sailed hard for twelve years, taking thousands of guests along the Devon and Cornwall coasts and further afield to the Solent, the Isles of Scilly, France and the Channel Islands.
Twelve years on, Pilgrim really needs some TLC. The intensity of the sailing schedule is taking its toll and the cost of maintenance and refit work is straining the finances of owners, charity the Pilgrim Heritage Sailing Foundation. The sailing income simply doesn’t enable them to meet all their annual operating and refit costs. Their volunteer team (joint winners of National Historic Ships UK's Marsh Volunteer Awards 2023) work hard year round to support their sailing operations and they now need to redirect that effort for a while to sustain her for the future. It’s Pilgrim’s 130th anniversary in 2025 and they need to make sure she remains in fine fettle to reach her 150th!
The charity's responsibility is to conserve and protect their heritage asset as an exemplar of Brixham’s Victorian sailing trawlers. This is where you can help. The charity needs to raise £50,000 for a new suite of sails and so far have raised just over £5,000.
Please help them fund the sails with a donation - CLICK HERE
Pilgrim will be in Brixham through next summer for Open Days and other fund raising activities and will be getting a makeover to make sure she’s in good shape for 2026 and beyond.
There are always opportunities for volunteers to join the team and to help with maintenance, marketing, fundraising and administration. Pilgrim with her red sails is an icon of Brixham and Torbay and the charity rely on the goodwill and hard work of our community to keep her preserved for future generations to curate and sail her over the years ahead.
Please get in touch if you would like to help or visit the website for more information.
Source: Press release
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South West