Suffolk Heritage Direct

Sea Heroes

Background to project

The Sea Heroes project was organised in association with Sea Britain 2005, the Archives Awareness and the Big Draw Campaigns, Celebrating Historic Lowestoft and Family Learning Week. Events in 2005 included an exhibition, a family open day, a children's competition and a programme of interactive maritime events held at Lowestoft Library and Record Office. It was funded by an Awards for All Lottery grant obtained by the Friends of the Suffolk Record Office and Suffolk County Council.

The project was designed to engage all ages but especially young people with local maritime history through the intriguing world of archives. Using the extensive documentary, photographic and press collections held at the Lowestoft branch of the Suffolk Record Office, just a handful of true local stories were highlighted to stimulate investigation, provide inspiration and celebrate local endeavour. Stories were selected that would inform and excite the imagination of young people, provide a new and rich source for learning, and help them develop a sense of community and greater appreciation and respect for earlier generations. Paintings and objects from the Lowestoft and East Suffolk Maritime Museum, the RNLI Lifeboat Station and Lowestoft Museum were included in an exhibition as well as archives to bring the historical events to life. This combination of documents, pictures, photographs, printed materials and objects gave a unique, authentic and direct link with these amazing acts of heroism at sea enabling young people and others to get closer to the truth, to discern fact from fiction and to understand history through experience.

An objective was to create lasting and accessible online learning resources to help everyone explore the theme of local maritime history and 'Discovery Kits' of local documents and photographs for use in schools to support Key Stage 2-3 students studying History, Literacy and Art. These kits will be sent to all primary, middle, high and special schools in the Waveney District of Suffolk. They will be available through record offices, libraries, mobile libraries, the schools library service and our partners.

Children's workshops were devised and piloted at the Maritime Museum and Record Office by John Crowfoot Enterprise Co-ordinator and KS3 History teacher at Elmtree Middle School, Suffolk Record Office staff and Stephanie Parmee, Heritage Learning Officer for the Suffolk Museums Service. Teaching ideas, and guidance notes for using documents and archives in the classroom, a reading list and lesson plan and examples of children's work will be available on the website and in the kits.

The Discovery Kits was researched, devised and created by the staff of Lowestoft Record Office with support from partners, colleagues at Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich Record Offices and throughout Libraries and Heritage. The Suffolk Record Office would like to thank everyone who has contributed material, research and advice, including members of the Port of Lowestoft Research Society, Lowestoft and East Suffolk Maritime Museum, Lowestoft Museum, Elmtree Middle School, Suffolk Family History Society and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Special thanks are given to Graphics Matter, John Crowfoot, David Butcher, Mike Chapman, Stanley Earl, John Fox, Peter Hansford, the Jenkins Family, Derek King RNLI photographic archives, Stuart Jones, Robert Malster, Peter Parker, Andy Jennings, Yvonne Stevens, Ian Prettyman, Joe Crowfoot, Wilfed Sutton, Mrs Joan Plant and Ian Robb.

Competition

In partnership with local middle schools in the Waveney District, the Record Office organised a SEA HEROES story writing and illustration competition. By providing on-line resource materials that schools could download from the Internet the aim was to provide inspiration and ideas for children to write their own material. The autumn launch dovetailed perfectly with the Voyage of Discovery reading game, with its nautical theme, encouraging children to use their local library and meet reading targets during the summer holidays. By the closing date 144 entries had been received into the five competition categories:

Each category had two sections for the Middle School ages range, Ages 9-10 years and 11-13 years (i.e. National Curriculum Key Stages 2 & 3).

Online resources

Explore a virtual gallery of heritage collections from around the county by searching this website.

Exhibition panels

Additional exhibition notes

Resources developed by Elm Tree Middle School