How to get involved
We are keen to get you involved with our vision for Thames Sailing Barge May.
There are many ways be a part of this vision, all of which are of great importance to The Bread and Roses Barge team.
Calling all Volunteers... Archivists... Artists... Bakers... Sailors... Supporters... Come and join us x
There are many ways to volunteer a few moments of your time. We would love to hear from you if you would like to join us on this amazing journey to see if it is possible to save May for future generations.
From helping on our open days, coffee mornings or workshops, getting May ready to receive guests, or to help getting on board, especially if you are a good tea maker we have plenty to do.
We are also looking for archive lovers who can help protect her large collections of papers.
There are opportunities forthcoming to be involved in different aspects of caring for SB May and helping the CIC in our work.
Throughout the process of the restoration of Thames Sailing Barge May we are recording each step using different mediums.
From photography paint and printmaking to in the moment installations we are asking you to be involved with the process of ensuring this story is told in many different ways as possible.
Community groups, artists, photographers, potters, sculptures, florists, textile artist, knitters, poets, musicians all are welcome to join in. Let us know if you have something we can add to our story.
We will be calling for artists soon as part of our launch of the Yarmouth Roads Gallery! An online gallery, the commission from which will be used towards our funding goals to restore May. If you have some work you would like to add then get in touch, we would love to hear from you!
We have been overwhelmed by the continued enthusiasm and positivity from people we speak to and from our growing network of professionals and collaborators and forever thankful for the donations and offers of support along the way.
We thank you all dearly for supporting us on this journey and as we move into a new and exciting phase for the SB May, The Bread and Roses Barge CIC. There are plenty of reasons why your donations are so vital to achieve our vision.
As a thanks for your generous support, we are stitching a string of bunting which we will fly every time we share our space with others.
So far we have 92 individual flags to add to our Bread and Roses Barge Bunting, nearly the length of May !
For all donations over £20 we will be very pleased to stitch a flag for you. Hot off the press news for November 2022, a voucher is available to give as a gift to family, a loved one or friend.
Let us know to personalise a flag with the name you would like to be featured. If you have purchased a voucher, the receiver of this gift could also let us know. This could be the name of a loved one you would like to dedicate a flag to, as well as any important colours, patterns or details, and we will try to include these as best we can.
To be included in this wonderful record of the support for May, just send a donation over £20 and add details for your flag. If you would like a voucher sent by first class post, please use the donate button but then contact us with details either via the website or email hello@thebreadandrosesbarge.com
We have a volunteer who has agreed to officially catalogue and photograph the flags we have made so far. A project for the archive, but to also send the owners a copy, work in progress as we speak, so more news to follow!
Also if you would like join one of community sewing days to help us make these very special bespoke pieces, please contact us for more details of upcoming sessions
Support has come in from so many companies that have had a connection to May over the years. We thank you for your generosity.
If you would like to join the community of supporters we would love to hear from you and your ideas on how you might like to be involved with this vision.
Just like the individual links of her anchor chain, each and every one of you that gets involved is so important.
We are so proud to have had so many companies and organisations already committed to The Bread and Roses Barge's vision of the future
If you would like to join this growing community of supporters please send us your details using the form, we look forward to hearing from you.
All donations over £100 will be automatically added to the growing band of Bread and Roses Barge patrons.
MAY was 130 years old the day we moved her from Pin Mill to St Osyth ready for her next chapter to begin
As you can imagine in those years she has built up a large collection of archive material collected by her previous owners. However there are many gaps and we are always keen to hear from you that have a connection to MAY, her Owners or the mills and docks she visited regularly.
We are also planning a number of heritage open days to share the information with you. If you would like further details it would great to hear from you.