The Arctic Corsair, Hull's last remaining sidewinder trawler
The Arctic Corsair will be restored

Charity awarded £75,000 to support Hull Maritime project

A charity dedicated to supporting the Hull Maritime project has been awarded £75,000 to enable the delivery of an accredited maritime training programme for young people in Hull.

Hull Maritime Foundation, chaired by Lord Haskins, has secured the funding from the Trinity House Maritime Charity (THMC) to deliver recognised training to 100 young people, aged 16-25 in Hull and assist them to begin a career at sea.

By working with a training provider specialising in fishing and offshore industries, the new ‘Maritime Futures’ programme, delivered by the Hull Maritime project, will give young people in Hull the opportunity to achieve the qualifications needed, as well as reconnecting them with Hull’s rich maritime heritage.

The training is recognised by employers, the Maritime Coastguard Agency and international bodies and it aims to ensure that 75 per cent of those completing the course secure employment within 12 months of completion.

The intensive course covers a number of key areas including personal survival techniques, elementary first aid, basic firefighting, health and safety, basic engineering, basic navigation, raft building, gear and net-mending, boat handling, galley duties and on-board procedures.

It also trains suitable candidates, over an intensive three-week course, on all essential aspects of fishing and trainees gain 12 certificates. Participants will also have the unique opportunity to work with trawlermen of the past through engagement with our Arctic Corsair volunteers as part of their training programme.

Lord Chris Haskins, chairman of Hull Maritime Foundation, said: “We are deeply grateful to the Trinity House Maritime Charity (THMC) for their funding.

“The key aim of this new programme is to provide young people in Hull with a meaningful training opportunity, providing skills and qualifications which lead to employment in the maritime sector, whilst learning about how the industries that made Hull the city to that it is today.”

Commodore Martin Atherton, OBE RN, Secretary to the Corporation of Trinity House, said: “Trinity House is delighted to be able to support the Maritime Futures Programme, made possible by a pool of funds given to the Trinity House Maritime Charity by the Department for Transport.

“Not only will it give young people the opportunity to gain recognised training and qualifications to enable them to enter a career in the fishing and offshore industry, the programme will also play an important part in reconnecting Hull with its maritime history.”

All funding secured by the Hull Maritime Foundation supports the £30m Hull Maritime project to deliver its ambitious plans to create one of the best maritime experiences in the UK. The significant grant will contribute towards the £2.6m funding gap to support the wider Hull Maritime project.

Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Hull City Council, five key maritime treasures —Arctic Corsair, North End Shipyard, Spurn Lightship, Dock Office Chambers and the Hull Maritime Museum — will be transformed by the Hull Maritime project. Visit maritimehull.co.uk for more information.

Julia Weldon, Hull's Director of Public Health sits at her desk. She is wearing a red check jacket and has a serious expression