A range of activities are being planned for when Sunderland welcomes vessels for the Tall Ships Races 2018.
The city’s school pupils will get to take part in a record-breaking singing attempt, learn about the brave acts of Sunderland seafaring heroes and delve into the mysteries of semaphore codes.
The activities, being planned by The Tall Ships Races Sunderland 2018 with the support of Together for Children, will be part of a four-day programme of events taking place in four event zones across the city: Sunderland Port, Town Moor and East End, St Peter’s Campus and the Seafront.
The four-day festival of fun and culture will be held between Wednesday 11th and Saturday 14th July as Sunderland – selected as the starting point of The Tall Ships Races 2018 – welcomes a flotilla of majestic vessels.
The activities directed at the city’s school pupils will include.
- Songs for Sunderland Tall Ships. This will be a live-streamed event aimed at breaking the world record for the most children singing the same song at the same time. Every pupil in Sunderland will have the chance to join in with the event from their classroom.
- Heroes of the Sea Trail will celebrate seafaring characters and ships connected with Sunderland and its maritime past. This event will explore the acts of figures like Jack Crawford and Harry Watts and the histories of record-breaking ships built on the Wear.
- The University of Sunderland will be holding a range of ‘Wear Sailing’ maritime activities. One activity will involve code breaking with flag semaphore, which will see primary schoolchildren introduced to methods of sending messages and signals without modern technology.
- Schools will have the chance to perform on stage as part of The Tall Ships Races Sunderland 2018 events.
Cllr Louise Farthing, Sunderland City Council’s portfolio holder for children’s services, said, “The Tall Ships Races Sunderland 2018 gives us a fantastic opportunity to bring young people from across the city together in a joint purpose.”
“I’d like to thank all of the partners involved in delivering the activities and in particular Together for Children for their generous support of the school visits to the Tall Ships site. I urge schools and academies across the city to make the very most of this unique chance to be part of this historic occasion.”
Together for Children, who deliver children’s services on behalf of Sunderland City Council, will be organising school visits to the Tall Ships events. Pupils will be able to enjoy a full day of activities including working with artists, watching performances and seeing the tall ships.
Simon Marshall, the director of Together for Children, said, “The Tall Ships event will be fantastic for the city and we’re delighted that, with our support, schools from across the city will be able to go along and enjoy the workshops and educational activities on offer, while also getting to see the tall ships for themselves.”
For further details of the Tall Ships Race activities available for schools, please go to www.tallshipssunderland.com/download-resource-centre.
You can keep up to date with general information about events connected with The Tall Ships Race by visiting www.tallshipssunderland.com or following @TallShipsSund on Twitter.
