On Sunday 25 March the Boleh workshop at Eastney Beam Engine House, Portsmouth was buzzing with activity as local families and other visitors made the most of the opportunity to see Boleh and find out more about our plans for her restoration.


As well as learning from the new sails (information panels), boards and banners, visitors were able to take a guided tour round Boleh and talk to trustees. Children enjoyed building a boat at the Paragon water tank and upstairs everyone could try their hand at nautical knots.


We took the opportunity to collect feedback from people and test out their views on our plans. It was most encouraging to see their responses and messages of support. “What an excellent project and so good for our young people. It’s just what they need.”

Come and see Boleh in her workshop at the Old Pumping Station, 199 Henderson Road, Eastney, Portsmouth, PO4 9JF, click here for map.

Learn her history and find out about her restoration. The Eastney Beam Engine will also be running and open to visitors, see here for details about the Beam Engine.

A letter in Classic Boat asking for information on Boleh’s whereabouts finally resulted in her acquisition by the Boleh Trust and her eventual arrival in Portsmouth for restoration. Now she finds herself in the pages of Classic Boat once again. Click here to see the article in the Yard News section of the March edition.

On Thursday 9 February 2012 the Portsmouth News ran a feature on Boleh and the opportunities the Heritage Lottery Fund will give to local apprentices. See here for full article.

We’re delighted to announce that we have formed a project team to work with the Trustees and shipwright Brian Taylor, to help secure the next round of Heritage Lottery Funding. Our team is:

Paragon Skills for Industy: www.paragonskills.co.uk

Westbrook  Marine Projects: www.westbrookmarine.co.uk

University of Southampton: www.soton.ac.uk

Cultural Consulting Network: www.culturalconsulting.net

Our submission to the Heritage Lottery Fund is due at the end of May and we hope to hear the result in September.

Click on the image below to see our Christmas ’11 Newsletter:

Boleh Christmas ’11 Newsletter

The Boleh Trust’s success in securing funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund is reported by the Portsmouth News, who welcomed the apprentice positions being created for youngsters in the area. Click here to see the News article.

We are absolutely delighted to report that our Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) bid has been successful. Tthe Boleh Trust has received initial HLF support  for our project to involve local young people in restoring Boleh.

The HLF  first round pass provides development funding of £55,800 so that we can apply for a full grant of just over £440,000.  This exciting news is the first step towards winning the funding required to restore Boleh and establish an expanded apprentice training programme.

The HLF grant will allow us to involve the local community in learning about Boleh and the conservation skills which our apprentices will use as they restore the vessel. Over the next six months will be be holding Open Days to bring local people into the project and explain our plans for Boleh’s future and how this connects with her heritage.

In welcoming the funding announcement,  Staurt Mcleod, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund South East, said: “We are delighted that Boleh is on the first step to being fully restored with apprentices trained in shipbuilding during the process … The trust has worked hard to realise the vision of this project, and HLF is pleased to give the project initial support.”

Click here for press release

We are very grateful to Michael Garlick who has very generously donated his prize money for his winning picture of ‘Maybird’,  in the 2011 National Historic Ships Photographic competition, to the Trust. We aim to buy a specific item to mark this welcome gift.  Michael chose the Trust because, like Boleh’s designer and builder Robin Kilroy, he was in the Fleet Air Arm and shares a family connection with Salcombe where Boleh is registered.

Once again we are grateful  to the Payne-Gallwey Trust for a further generous donation to Boleh. We have also received a welcome anonymous donation which has arrived just in time to provide matching funding for our bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund.