Have a look at the Youtube playlist we have set up with all the recordings from the sea shanties sung at the Polperro Festival and leave your comments!

Children performing at the Polperro festival

It was a grand day for students, parents, teachers, artists and us at the Polperro Music and Arts festival last Wednesday. Holiday makers, members of local folk club, parents and those passing by while at the festival heard over 300 students singing the Sea Shanties learnt through the Lost at Sea project that CoastNet is running with funding from HLF and through the Villa Cross Media project (Interreg.

Each school (Marlborough Primary School, Fourlanesend Community Primary School, Duloe CE VA Junior & Infant School and Antony CE VA School) had rehearsed separately so it was really exciting when they all came together, calling out to each other to sing along.

We’d like to thank the local artists who taught us the sea shanties for treating the young singers to some well deserved biscuits after the event.

Photos, videos of the songs, lyrics. More to come!

Download the press release as an Office document here

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 18th of June 2012
CONTACT: Leo Eddolls, CoastNet
Tel. 01752 426164
Mob. 07506 153947
leo.eddolls@coastnet.org.uk
Devonport Guildhall, Ker Street, Devonport, Plymouth, PL1 4EL

HEADLINE:
YOUNGEST EVER SEA SHANTY PERFORMERS TO APPEAR AT POLPERRO MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL
BODY:
CoastNet is proud to present the performances of young people from local schools in concert on Wednesday, 20th of June from 11 to 1pm, at the Polperro Music and Arts Festival.

Students from  Marlborough Primary School, Fourlanesend Community Primary School, Duloe CE VA Junior & Infant School and Antony CE VA School have participated in the Lost at Sea project run by CoastNet. They have received visits at school from local groups such as the Miner Quay Shanty Men from Looe who have taught them the words and how to sing sea shanties.

Shanties are work songs in which sailors minds were occupied in chanting while their hands were hauling or heaving to the rhythm. Interestingly, the “call & response” shanty “Plymouth Town” could possibly be the oldest recorded shanty, at least in English!

One of the favourite shanties of our students is “Sammy’s gone away” which charts the progression of a young sailor from cabin boy to Captain. It is from the time of Nelson and is thought to have been sung on the journey to the battle of Trafalgar where Nelson was shot and died.

Leo Eddolls, the Lost at Sea project officer from CoastNet said “Kids are enjoying and learning so much from the local sea shanty groups. They are looking forward to the big day”

Lost at Sea is a Heritage Lottery Funded programme that encourages young people to engage with their local history in fishing ports from Polperro to Plymouth. These activities also receive funding from the Interreg IV A 2 Seas programme through the Villa Cross Mediaproject, which aims to improve social inclusion and well-being through media training and facilities  for young people and encouraging a sense of identity.

CoastNet works to improve the lives of coastal communities through education, community action and social enterprise.  CoastNet is the only national charity dedicated to sustainable development of the UK’s coasts.

THE POLPERRO FESTIVAL
As well as the sea shanties on the schools day, the coming of summer will be celebrated with live music, street theatre, parades, morris dancers, arts and crafts, drama, poetry, children’s entertainment, coastal walks, a treasure hunt and a new music day.

According to the Cornwall Tourist Board “Polperro still has a small fishing fleet and the village is renowned for its shellfish. While you’re there try a delicious crab sandwich. Polperro’s secluded position made the village an ideal base for smuggling back in the 1700s when high taxes on commodities such as tea and salt created an illicit trade with ports on the continent”.

Leo Eddolls, the Lost at Sea Project Officer, is available for phone interview. Please contact her by email or telephone to set up a time that is convenient.
Tel. 01752 426164
Mob. 07506 153947
leo.eddolls@coastnet.org.uk

Please visit the Lost at Sea blog at: http://coastnetlostatsea.wordpress.com for more information, including a video of a sea shanty rehearsal at school.

More information about CoastNet at:
http://www.coastnet.org.uk

More information about participating schools at:

http://www.fourlanesendprimary.co.uk/

http://www.duloe.cornwall.sch.uk/

http://www.antony.cornwall.sch.uk/

http://www.marlborough.plymouth.sch.uk/

————————————————————————
Shown below is a photograph that can be used for the press release, “A sailor and his accordion onboard the Parma” in .jpg with the following Licence:

“This work has been released into the public domain by its author, National Maritime Museum. This applies worldwide.
In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so:
National Maritime Museum grants anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.”

Charting the progression of a young sailor from cabin boy to Captain, Sammy’s gone away is a sea shanty sung from the time of Nelson and may have been sung on the journey to the battle of Trafalgar where Nelson was shot and killed.

In this short video clip captured on a digital camera we see the children of Fourlanesend Community Primary School during one of their initial introductory lessons in sea shanties with the Miner Quay Shanty Men from Looe.

If you wish to sing along……

SAMMY’S GONE AWAY.
Sammy’s gone away aboard a mano’war,
Sammy’s gone away aboard a mano’war,
Sammy’s gone away aboard a mano’war,
Sammy’s gone away aboard a mano’war.
CHORUS
Pretty work brave boys,
Pretty work I say,
Sammy’s gone away aboard a mano’war.
Sammy was the cabin boy aboard a man o’war,
Sammy’s gone away aboard a mano’war,
Sammy was the cabin boy aboard a mano’war,
Sammys gone away aboard a man o’war’.
CHORUS
Sammy was a midshipman aboard a mano’war,
Sammy was a midshipman aboard a mano’war,
CHORUS
Sammy learnt to semaphore aboard a mano’war,
Sammy learnt to semaphore aboard a mano’war,
CHORUS
Sammy was the Bosun aboard a mano’war,
Sammy was the Bosun aboard a mano’war,
CHORUS
Sammy was the Captain aboard a mano’war,
Sammy was the Captain aboard a mano’war,
CHORUS
Sammy was the Admiral aboard a mano’war,
Sammy was the Admiral aboard a mano’war,
CHORUS
Sammy’s gone away aboard a mano’war,
Sammy’s gone away aboard a mano’war.

CHORUS

The young people range in age from 7 to 21 and have become involved through their schools or youth provision.  Each School or youth provision will be developing the project in their own way and this blog will record the various activities and chart the learning of the young people.