SS Freshspring Trust

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SS Freshspring Trust

Historic steamship based in Bideford, North Devon. Run by educational maritime charity working to bring the vessel back into operation.
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Volunteering opportunities available. Open to public on Sundays April-Oct. Hosting special events & workshops in 2024 SS Freshspring was intended to carry fresh water to warships at dockyards and naval anchorages. The intention of the Trust is to return the Steamship Freshspring to sea going condition. Once operable, she will be unique in being the last small steam cargo ship in existence. She wil

l be active in UK waters visiting different ports where she will be open for visitors / school groups etc. She will also offer exclusive cruises and provide practical training for potential engineers and seafarers of the future. The Steamship Freshspring Society is a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) and was entered on the Register of Charities on 7 May 2013, with the charity number 1151907. The charity is based in North Devon, though our membership extends all around the UK and the world.

29/11/2024

Dear All, in case you are missing us during this quieter time of year, there are some wonderful soundbites and podcasts on YouTube you can sit back with a cuppa and watch, listen to!

Make a start here, with a 20 minute section taken from an hour long talk, also on our YouTube channel.

The knowledgeable Steamship Freshspring Trust's Chairman John Puddy gives a talk about the steamship and her history, being the only restored Freshwater carrier in the UK!

Sound clips are accompanied with their very own Jingles with sounds of steam engines, whistles and laughter from our volunteers, lovingly produced made by Ace Holds The Space - Community Sparks Channel with music Licensed by Soundstripe.

Happy Listening!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9UKpngprgU

29/10/2024

Having a lovely day on board today
We are open until 4pm
There’s lots to do, including glass jar painting, VR and Morse code

25/10/2024

March for the Torridge TOMORROW!
To draw attention to the water quality in our rivers and seas, and what we can do about it!

10am start – meeting at our ship, SS Freshspring Trust Landivisiau Walk, Bideford. Finish approximately 1.00pm.

All the details can be found on the poster below.

18/10/2024

It was so lovely to host a visit from Torridge Growing Together on Wednesday - thanks for the post!

18/10/2024

Sorry to announce that unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, this event is now CANCELLED . We hope to reschedule it in the future.

EVENT NOW CANCELLED

THIS WEEKEND! We really hope you can come along to see the Ocean Conservation Trust come to do this talk on Saturday. This is a free event - you'll hear from some of the conservation officers and get a chance to go 'underwater' with the use of their amazing VR seabed experience. A family friendly event.
If you book a place that would be great - but you are welcome to turn up on the day.
https://ssfreshspring.co.uk/events/seagrass-conservation-workshop-with-the-ocean-conservation-trust/

17/10/2024

It's just so wonderful to be able to invite people on board and show them just how wonderful our ship is.

EVENT NOW CANCELLED THIS WEEKEND! We really hope you can come along to see the Ocean Conservation Trust come to do this ...

17/10/2024

The Ship is open for an extra day this year. Come and see us for a Free Family Fun Day October 29th from 11-4
We have some special activities on board as well as being open to visitors to do a self guided tour.
Have a go at Pom pom jewellery making, Hallowe'en glass jar painting and Rope Making.
We also have our amazing VR headsets so you can meet the crew and explore the Ship whilst seated on the main deck!

We look forward to welcoming you on board.

24/09/2024

We are really excited to have the Ocean Conservation Trust joining us onboard SS Freshspring on Saturday 19th October at 11am.

Listen to them tell us all about their protection and restoration work, then take part in a VR session where you can experience a real seagrass meadow in 360 degrees, as well as making some nutrient balls which we use to help seagrass seedlings grow healthily!

This is an event suitable for all the family although we advise that its better suited to children aged 7 years and over. The event is FREE but we ask for donations to be made to the SS Freshspring Trust and suggest around £2.50 per person. Please reserve your place here >

Join us onboard SS Freshspring as we journey through seagrass conservation with the Ocean Conservation Trust. Listen to them tell us all about their protection and restoration work, then take part in a VR session where you can experience a real seagrass meadow in 360 degrees, as well as making some....

15/09/2024

Just a little film featuring some of today's great moments.
A HUGE thank you to everyone that came along to our Heritage Open Days special Sunday!
We really enjoyed chatting to all of our visitors - some local and some here on holiday.
A big thank you to today's volunteers (one of them, Lou, very much enjoyed looking after all the four-legged furry visitors we had!)
Finally - we can't thank End of the Road & Q T Swing enough for donating their time this afternoon to entertain us all with some wonderful music!
Don't forget we are open every Sunday from 11am - 4pm and it's FREE. Plus, we have many great events coming up, so keep an eye on our website and social media.

15/09/2024

How lovely to haveEnd of the Road & Q T Swing playing. Come down and have a listen whilst you tour the ship.

15/09/2024

Bideford’s Mayor, Rachel, has showed her support for our Heritage Open Day. She chatted to Dan about working at sea. Dan’s the skipper of a Topsail Schooner Johanna Lucretia. Today he’s volunteering for us.
Come and show your support. We’re open for free until 4pm.

15/09/2024

Ahoy there from the SS Freshspring volunteers!
We’re open from 11am until 4pm today for Heritage Open Days. Come and visit this historical ship for FREE. We have a whole range of activities on board from ropemaking, Morse code, our virtual reality film, and even a real live skipper to chat to.

Plus from 12.30pm End of the Road & Q T Swing will be playing onboard.

For more information see

https://ssfreshspring.co.uk/events/heritage-open-day-aboard-ss-freshspring/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0l9_PI3onQ2UP5i0eDnD-NrGYgjdGTrZzW_XONG5LvJi1u5uPI-O9oXpA_aem_MTToB397-iTtfvjl-klO8A

13/09/2024

We are delighted to be part of the Family Fun Day at Appledore Book Festival tomorrow.

This event is completely FREE and includes a fun-filled family trail blaze, creative sessions with local children’s author & illustrator, Joseph Witchall, and a variety of exciting children’s events, including rides on our steam engine and a chance to watch our Virtual Reality film - and so much more.

Check out our news page for more information: https://ssfreshspring.co.uk/events/appledore-book-festival-family-fun-day-2/

11/09/2024

We’re delighted to be taking part in England’s largest celebration of history and culture again THIS SUNDAY.
As usual, it’s FREE to explore our unique Freshwater carrier the SS Freshspring, but on Sunday we'll be offering extra family activities onboard.

Plus, if you visit in the afternoon you can listen to some live music from the band QT Swing (formerly “End of the Road”) featuring Tenor Sax, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Percussion and vocals. They’ll be playing Swing Jazz from the 20s to the sixties and also traditional blues.

We’re delighted to be taking part in England’s largest celebration of history and culture again this year. The festival brings people together to celebrate their heritage, community and history, and offers the perfect opportunity to see hidden places and try out new experiences! It’s FREE to e...

05/09/2024

‼️CANCELLED‼️ due to illness. If you have already purchased tickets you will be refunded and contacted individually. We are sorry for the inconvenience and plan to set a new date for this event.

Join us on the the evening of *Thursday 12th September* for an hour of Stories from the Sea told by experienced storytellers, keeping the oral tradition alive.

The Plough Storytelling Circle invites you to enjoy time with them onboard the Steamship Freshspring where the atmosphere can only enhance the tales they tell.

The event starts at 6.30pm (the ship will be open from 6pm). This is a Bring Your Own event, so please feel free to bring a drink or food to enjoy.

Tickets are £5 and 100% of the proceeds go to The Freshspring Trust, helping us to restore and preserve the steamship for many years to come.

Tickets and more info can be found here > https://ssfreshspring.co.uk/product/226821/

04/09/2024

We are delighted to announce that Ride the Rapids aka Bideford Soapbox Derby and Peak Online have raised a whooping £4059.38 for the RNLI Appledore Lifeboat Station 🥰😍🤩😘.

We have such fun on the day and we will be back again on the 31st of August 2025, and we will be raising money for the RNLI Appledore Lifeboat Station 🤩 and we will be raising money through our T Shirt profits for SS Freshspring Trust 🥰.

See you all next year and team bookings will be open next week 🤩.

11/08/2024

Come and visit us at The North Devon Festival of Transport until 4pm today. We are doing steam engine rides, our Virtual Reality film and we have our Steam Launch on show too!
Plus…our ship SS Freshspring (just across the park) is open all day too - and FREE to visit!

Address

Landivisiau Walk
Bideford
EX392BX

Opening Hours

11am - 4pm

Website

http://www.ssfreshspring.co.uk/

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Videos

Another Volunteer, Neil Rice sharing his love for the ship! 💖 Thank You so much Neil! Our very own Shanty band at the intro of this #jingle ☺ ! #bideford #bidefordquay #steamshipbideford #volunteeringbideford #ShantyBand #aceholdsthespace

Wonderful to hear Richard describing his experiences of helping out on the Ship! 👏 Audiobites and Jingles made by Roshani of Ace Holds The Space - Community Sparks Channel Music Licensed by Soundstripe. #bideford #steamshipbideford #volunteeringbideford #acejingles #acereels

Our wonderful Lou Boulter expressing her joy of Volunteering with Freshspring! Thank You Lou! #bideford #steamshipbideford #volunteeringbideford Audio and Jingles produced by Ace Holds The Space - Community Sparks Channel Music Licensed by Soundstripe

It's a Steam Thing! Peter Harvey, one of our wonderful Volunteers describes his experiences helping out on the Ship! Thankyou Peter! #bideford #steamshipbideford #volunteeringbideford Audio and Jingle production by Ace Holds The Space - Community Sparks Channel

Just a little film featuring some of today's great moments. A HUGE thank you to everyone that came along to our Heritage Open Days special Sunday! We really enjoyed chatting to all of our visitors - some local and some here on holiday. A big thank you to today's volunteers (one of them, Lou, very much enjoyed looking after all the four-legged furry visitors we had!) Finally - we can't thank End of the Road & Q T Swing enough for donating their time this afternoon to entertain us all with some wonderful music! Don't forget we are open every Sunday from 11am - 4pm and it's FREE. Plus, we have many great events coming up, so keep an eye on our website and social media.

QT Swing

How lovely to haveEnd of the Road & Q T Swing playing. Come down and have a listen whilst you tour the ship.

Family visit to Freshspring

Whether you’re local to the area or on holiday, a trip with the family to our steamship is a great way to spend an hour. We have our virtual reality film onboard - always a great multi-generational experience. It’s FREE to visit 11am - 4pm every Sunday.

Freshspring

What a beautiful day to be open. Come along until 4pm. It’s FREE and we have our Virtual Reality film onboard too.

The Pluckateers play Freshspring

Thank you to the Pluckateers for generously donating their time this evening. Everyone had a great time at our pasty and shanty night. We have another planned later in the year so if you missed out on tickets, that’ll be your chance.

Here is a video from yesterday as the PS Waverley approached, accompanied by some lovely music from Bideford town band

Here's a little film of the successful running of SS Freshspring's hooter this morning! This is the first time it's been heard since the ship was last steamed! John Puddy brought along an air compressor which allowed us to get the hooter running, after some minor fettling of the operating arm. We plan to sound it again tomorrow to greet the paddle steamer Waverley as she comes into Bideford. Come and join us on the deck from 12pm. Waverley Excursions National Historic Ships UK

SS Freshspring

Join us today at Merton Vintage Rally, where the SS Freshspring crew are offering rides on our steam traction engine, and we have our virtual reality film set up and ready to roll. Each experience costs £1.50, and all of the money will go towards restoring our steamship. It’s on from 11am - 5pm. Here’s a short snippet of our steam traction engine yesterday at Northam May Fair.