Devon steamship project receives £141,000 for restoration project

SS Freshspring's chair John Puddy said the money would also help fund paid roles

A project to restore a steamship has been awarded a grant of £141,000.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded the money to the SS Freshspring Trust, in Devon.

Since 2016, volunteers have been restoring the SS Freshspring steamship, built in 1946, which had been abandoned in a scrapyard.

SS Freshspring's chair John Puddy said the money would also help fund paid roles.

He said: "It was an astounding result and enables us to take the next crucial steps in our development.

"What's more we're going to be able to offer two new roles, enabling people to take paid work with us, which is an immediate boost for the area as well as the trust and its heritage ship."

The SS Freshspring Trust hopes it will engage and inspire young people to a "future in engineering and all manner of roles related to maritime heritage"

He said the bid submitted in December 2022 was supported by a range of organisations including Torridge District Council, Bideford Town Centre Partnership and local maritime charity Way of the Wharves.

The trust's ambition for the vessel is to "see the ship steaming again" and to engage and inspire young people to a "future in engineering and all manner of roles related to maritime heritage".