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This news page is current for April and May 2010 That was the year that was... The 2009/10 year has just finished and we can record over 54,000 visitors and users of the Ship, which is an increase of around 2% on the year before. General visitor numbers and educational usage stayed very much the same and the increase came largely through more weddings and functions than the previous year. In terms of earned income the ShipShop had an excellent year and far outstripped its earlier performance. Bearing in mind the uncertain economic times the results overall were satisfactory and slightly better than our target forecasts. The coming season The Easter holiday period has started pretty well for us being blessed with some reasonable weather particularly during the second week of the holiday period. It is always great to see everywhere busy and people out enjoying themselves and with smiles on their faces! This season, of course, is very important to everyone in Hartlepool as the town hosts the Tall Ships Races over the first weekend in August - more about that below -, which will be a huge promotional opportunity for the area and one that we sincerely hope will leave a lasting benefit. Our forward bookings are coming in well now, particularly for the educational groups, and recently we have launched a corporate scheme for the Hartlepool schools as there is an immense amount of valuable curriculum work to be explored at HME and the in the Ship. Often schools like people in general will go thirty miles rather than three! On a different tack, we are also most encouraged with the take-up for weddings and functions on board in the coming months as the Ship is a superb venue for these events. There is a good chunk of optimism around... Arrangements with Hartlepool Borough Council It is good to report that we have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Council which sets out the ways in which we work together at Hartlepool's Maritime Experience [HME], and establishes monitoring criteria such that the attraction will continue to contribute strongly to the tourism and economic development agendas in the locality. One of the most important developments has been a small but significant piece of re-branding. The Trust has been concerned that under the title of 'Hartlepool's Maritime Experience', the name of the Ship has been lost in much of the marketing work. The main name is now sub-titled 'Home of HMS Trincomalee'. Good! Awards, grants and donations Last autumn in a joint bid with the Council, HME won the North East Large Visitor Attraction of the Year Award and we shall be defending our title later on this year! We have also made the 'final cut' in the Hartlepool Business Awards which will be announced next month. The local Awards are very highly regarded and always attract a substantial entry from across the whole of the business fraternity. It is pleasing to report a very good grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation which will help us to make a start shortly on the next phase of our education, interpretation and presentation schemes. At the same time we also had news of a legacy from a person who knew of the Ship back in her Foudroyant days in Portsmouth. Legacies are essentially unbudgeted income, but they are always good, since besides the financial benefit to the Trust, it is pleasing to think that people wish to remember the Ship in this way. We are introducing a novel fundraising scheme by producing a 'wooden wall' on the back of the ShipShop. A large cut-out of the Ship has been made with space in the central section for small planks to be placed with a message from the donor. Do buy a plank for posterity the next time you are here! Two companies from the area, M H Southern of Tyneside and F Peart of Hartlepool have kindly supplied and sponsored the planks for us to sell. Thanks very much indeed. Never mind a Ship in a Bottle or such things; talking of which - A Ship in a Shop and other Tall Ships bits As part of the Government initiative, the Council has taken a shop unit in the Middleton Grange Shopping Centre for a few months as an outlet for community groups and to promote the Tall Ships Races 7 - 10 August. A feature within the unit will be the building of a model of a Tall Ship - hence a ship in a shop! HME has been allocated the week beginning 26 April and we shall be having a presence from Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm and encouraging the public to visit, join the Friends, have a function, get married on board...! I noted above that the detailed arrangements are now coming together in preparation for the 'big event' in early August, and rather than try to described them here at this stage I would refer everyone to the website www.hartlepootallships2010.com or telephone 01429 523636 for more information. The slogan is 'England's biggest free event in 2010 - be part of it!' We are, and we look forward to seeing you. Get the dates in the diary. Images The "Wooden Wall" under construction
Bryn
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