Lighthouse Keepers Tour Blyth Tall Ship Workshops in Traditional Boatbuilding Skills Day

Blyth Tall Ship welcomed members of the Association of Lighthouse Keepers from across the UK for a behind-the-scenes tour of its busy workshops at South Harbour, Blyth, where traditional skills and craftsmanship are kept alive for future generations.

Visitors were taken through the working workshops before the session's centrepiece: an in-depth boatbuilding talk delivered by shipwright and trainer Nik, who offered insight into the techniques and traditions that shape vessels both historic and modern. Blyth Tall Ship's team is currently constructing a full-sized wooden vessel using traditional shipbuilding techniques, the first to be built in Blyth in 160 years, giving the delegation a rare look at a living build programme rather than a static display.

Guests also heard from Janice and Astrid, who lead the Gansey Project, whose talk covered the rich history and cultural significance of gansey knitting and the project's ongoing work to preserve this maritime tradition. The Gansey Project sits alongside a broader community programme at Blyth Tall Ship that includes sea shanty singing, introduction to woodworking, sail cloth working, and knots and lashings.

To close the day, the Blyth Tall Ship Shanty Singers sent guests on their way in true seafaring style.

Chief executive Siobhan Sargeant said: "We were thrilled to host such a passionate and knowledgeable group. It was a pleasure to share our work and celebrate the deep-rooted connections within our maritime community."

The Association of Lighthouse Keepers provides a forum for everyone interested in lighthouses, lightships, and maritime aids to navigation, with membership open to those who are not and have never been working lighthouse keepers. That breadth of interest made the pairing with Blyth Tall Ship a natural one: both organisations are built around the conviction that traditional maritime knowledge is worth passing on.

Blyth Tall Ship offers a free Level 1 NVQ course in its heritage boatyard alongside paid traineeships running to Level 2 and the path to Level 3 NVQ in specialist shipwright skills. Blyth Tall Ship has said it looks forward to welcoming the group back and hopes to see many of them return to sail aboard the tall ship during the upcoming season.