1st March 2019
Our initial fundraising target was pitched at the absolute minimum to ensure Cingalee’s survival and to restore her quickly to a basic level so she could be displayed at the Scapa 100 events. When we set up the appeal, we had no idea what the response would be. We knew she was a unique boat with a long, interesting and significant naval and civilian history. We are delighted that the public and official bodies also appreciate the significance of Cingalee’s place in Orkney’s maritime heritage.
We are delighted to have passed our initial funding pledge target of £13,000. A huge thank you must go to all those who have donated money, services or supplies to date.
We are keeping the Cingalee Campaign open to enable us, with any further funding, to move onto a second phase of her restoration and wider publicising of her story.
Our next steps, as funding permits, would be to: –
- Employ more shipwrighting expertise to ensure the work will be done expeditiously.
- Employ professionals to create Storyboards, Interactive Displays, Pop-up Posters and a short film etc. to publicise, engage and inform the public about the history of Cingalee.
- Commission a local songwriter/poet to write a song/poem about the musical play ‘The Cingalee or Sunny Ceylon’, with which the boat’s first owner was possibly inspired and from which Cingalee may have got her name.
- Renovate Cingalee to marine standard so that she can become an occasional floating exhibit as opposed to being permanently land based.
- Purchase a road legal trailer rather than the locally built yard trolley initially planned. This will enable her to be transported to locations and events throughout Orkney or further afield to facilitate greater public interaction