Larry Lamb makes surprise announcement of Heritage Lottery Fund grant to former Brixham sailing trawler

The Trinity Sailing Foundation is today celebrating following the award of £170,400 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to support the restoration of the former Brixham sailing trawler, Leader.

The surprise announcement, made by EastEnders actor Larry Lamb, will be shown as part of The National Lottery: Secret Fortune on Saturday evening on BBC 1.

Larry Lamb visited Brixham as part of a series of films appearing on the Lottery draw show over the coming weeks. The films feature the great variety of good causes that Lottery players are helping to support by raising over £30million a week for good causes.

Built in 1892 in the parish of Brixham, Leader is the oldest and largest of the nine Brixham trawlers to survive in the UK.

Having been brought back to Devon in 1996, Leader is now used by the Trinity Sailing Foundation to provide life skills training and hands-on experience of sailing for young people.

The Heritage Lottery Fund grant will help restore Leader’s main weatherdeck, preventing further deterioration of the vessel’s historic features. The crew, apprentices and volunteers will learn traditional skills, and will work alongside expert shipwrights to complete the restoration.

At the same time, a free exhibition will be created on Brixham Harbour, so that visitors will be able to learn about the work that is taking place and some of the traditional skills involved, including rope and net making.

The Trinity Sailing Foundation is also planning to work with young people from across the local community to research the history of Leader and create a new DVD telling its story, as well as detailing the restoration process and the role Leader played in Brixham’s fishing industry.

Nerys Watts, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund South West, said, “We at HLF are delighted to be able to support the restoration of Leader. The development of the fishing industry is at the heart of the story of Brixham, and the preservation of Leader is vital for ensuring future generations have the chance to learn about and enjoy this fascinating history. As this project shows, by playing The National Lottery, you can be proud that you’re making a difference to people and places in your area.”

Struan Coupar, Chairman of Trinity Sailing Foundation, said: “This is fantastic news for Brixham and for all those that share our ambition to keep the remaining fleet of Brixham trawlers as living, working, examples of our maritime heritage.

He went on to say “Leader performs an extremely valuable role with many hundreds of young people having benefitted from sail training on her. We are able to use the unique environment onboard Leader to challenge, motivate and inspire young people many of whom are from disadvantaged backgrounds. Leader is an iconic vessel, and now so many people will be able to benefit from her for many years to come. We are extremely grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund and our other partners for this chance to invest in her future”.

Dr Sarah Wollaston, MP for Totnes, said: “This is fantastic news for Brixham. Congratulations to all those who have worked so hard to keep the Leader in Brixham helping to transform the lives of young people and keep our fishing heritage alive”.

Leader, at 105 feet and 110 tonnes is the largest, and oldest, of the four traditional sailing boats operated by Trinity. Built in 1892 at W. A.Gibbs' yard at Galmpton, Leader fished in UK waters until 1907, when she was sold to Swedish owners. Leader then operated on Sweden's west coast until 1970, when she became a sail training vessel for the Swedish Cruising Club.

In 1985, Leader moved to the west coast of Scotland, where as Lorne Leader she was used for sailing holidays and charter for ten years. In 1996 she was brought home to South Devon, and operated from Dartmouth until 1999, when she became part of the Trinity fleet, and returned to Brixham.