This year marks the 50th anniversary of making the Swallows and Amazons film in the Lake District, with the very first day of filming being on 14th May 1973 at the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Steam Railway, also celebrating its 50th, writes Sophie Neville… Earlier this year David Wood, the award-winning playwright who adapted Swallows and […]
A marathon reading of Arthur Ransome’s classic story Swallowdale is happening at Windermere Jetty Museum on June 24th & 25th, and you can now sign up to participate in it. Swallowdale follows on from the great adventure of Swallows and Amazons and finds the brave crew of the Swallow, plus one parrot, beginning another summer […]
The University of Cumbria is hosting a free public talk about Arthur Ransome in Ambleside on Tuesday 4th April. Presented by Professor Sally Bushell of Lancaster University, this talk considers a spatial approach to children’s literature through the example of Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons series, defining the concept of “PlaySpace” as a shared space […]
Last Saturday – 25th March – saw Nancy Blackett being fitted-out for the 2023 summer season, following her relaunch about a mile down the river at Harry King’s of Pin Mill earlier in the week. Back in her regular berth at Woolverstone Marina, her condition looked immaculate, and a team of half-a-dozen Trust members set […]
Sailing Secretary Norman Savigar took this photo of Nancy Blackett at Pin Mill on Thursday 16th March. Sporting a fresh red coat of anti-foul paint, she is being prepared to go back on the water at Pin Mill in the next week or so after spending the winter ashore.
Mike Rines, rescuer and restorer of Nancy Blackett, has died, at the age of 89. He first discovered Arthur Ransome’s boat virtually derelict in Scarborough Harbour in the early 1980s. Initially unaware that she was the inspiration for We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea, and the original of the Goblin in that book, he […]
A brand new theatre production of Arthur Ransome’s novel Winter Holiday will take to the stage this month, before appearing in the Lake District in March. The play will be on stage for three days at the Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury from 16th to 18th February, before appearing for two days at the Old Laundry […]
Arthur Ransome’s Selina King has been shortlisted for this year’s Classic Boat Awards, in the ‘Restored Sailing Vessel Under 40ft’ class. The largest and finest of Ransome’s yachts, she has been entered by King’s Boatyard of Pin Mill where she was built 85 years ago, and where she is now completing a long and complex […]
Sailing Nancy Blackett is the title of a new video portraying Nancy Blackett under sail on the river Orwell. Shot specially for the Nancy Blackett Trust by film-maker Jon Swallow, the seven-minute short features narration by the Trust’s founder and president Peter Willis and shows Arthur Ransome’s ‘best little boat’ setting sail from Woolverstone Marina […]
A Christmas message from the Nancy Blackett Trust… We wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of our supporters, members, friends and followers. Thank you for your ongoing support and have a wonderful time. Art by Claudia Myatt
It’s time for last orders for your Christmas gifts from the Nancy Blackett Shop! Choose from our fabulous range of “Swallows and Amazons” and Nancy Blackett gifts, knowing that your purchases will go to a very good cause – keeping Nancy Blackett afloat and available for everyone! Please order your Christmas gifts by Monday 12th December […]
With Christmas upon us in just a few weeks’ time, here’s our updated handy guide to the last dates for ordering your Christmas gifts from the Nancy Blackett Shop, and to this year’s special offers. Choose from our range of Swallows and Amazons and Nancy Blackett-themed books, greetings cards, teatowels and more, knowing that the proceeds will go towards supporting the […]
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