Sea shanty singers' project for ocean awareness

Sea shanty singers have filmed videos of their vocals in Hastings to raise awareness of ocean conservation

A West End performer has recorded a series of sea shanties to help raise awareness of ocean conservation.

Lewis Bennett, 33, made short films featuring the traditional fishing songs, using his vocals alongside fellow singers from Hastings, East Sussex.

He hopes money raised from people watching the series online will support research by the Guy Harvey Foundation in Florida, which provides education on how we can use the ocean sustainably.

"It's important to give something back through the songs we use to take from the ocean," Mr Bennett said.

Mr Bennett added: "I'm singing the same songs as people from 300 years ago doing the most gruelling work, and I feel connected to them."

Sea shanties date back hundreds of years and were working songs for sailors.

The rhythm brought a sense of fun to the hard manual tasks they would encounter on long sea voyages, pub singer Tom Kelly said.

Mr Kelly, 77, has been singing sea shanties for 50 years and sings every Thursday in a local pub in the fishing town.

He said: "The songs aren't complex and you see people smiling when they listen.

"Anyone will tell you that even if they are miserable when they walk in, they walk out smiling - these songs empower people to sing."

Lewis Bennett said singing sea shanties helps him to feel connected to fisherman from 300 years ago

Videos of the sea shanties being performed were filmed in the Hastings Fishing Museum, using fishing huts as a backdrop.

The shanties filmed include the songs Santiana, which dates back to at least the mid-19th century, and Roll Boys Roll.

Connor Hanley, who usually performs in the West End, said: "It's so fun to bring the songs back into the world from this fisherman's hut," he said.

"Shanties were songs with a purpose and when you bring people together to sing them, something special happens."