'Bright Sparks Discover Looe' Project

The Old Guildhall Museum in Looe begins its “Bright Sparks” project on the 16th May. This project – a great opportunity for the children at Looe Primary Academy to share the experiences of locals involved with the sea and to learn about the rich maritime heritage of Looe – is a result of a Grant Award from Feast, a programme to make great art happen across Cornwall, with support from Cornwall Museums Partnership.

The Grant was awarded for our Discover Looe project, based on the history of the sea in Looe, which will end with the production of two new feather banners for the frontage of the Museum. 3 classes of Years 3 and 4 children at Looe Primary Academy will be led by Sue Field, a local textile artist. The project will start with morning and afternoon coffee sessions at the school, with representatives from the RNLI and local boat builders, fishermen and sailors all coming to speak to the children and be interviewed by them.

Our Mayor, Armand Toms, an ex-fisherman himself, will also come and speak to the children and show them how fishing nets are made. Museum volunteers will provide a display of old photographs of the fishing industry in Looe, as well as RNLI and seaside pictures, to encourage the children to learn about the fishing industry and the importance of the sea in Looe’s past. The children will then use these stories and pictures to create their own art work in workshops, culminating in production of the new banners.

We hope to have the banners ready for a Grand Ceremony at the Museum at the beginning of July.