Guernsey Press

Boat restored by prisoners gets pride of place at PEH

A RESTORED sailing boat is out in the open to be admired after years of being kept in a barn.

Published
The restored sailing boat in the PEH’s Le Vauquiedor entrance. Left to right are Guernsey Prison deputy governor John De Carteret, prison workshop supervisor Dolly Gray, Floral Guernsey schools coordinator Gerry Tattersall, Stuart Wilson from The Insurance Corporation and Floral Guernsey schools coordinator Pat Johnson. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 23946463)

The clinker boat can now be found in the Le Vauquiedor entrance of the Princess Elizabeth Hospital thanks to Guernsey Prison, Floral Guernsey and the Insurance Corporation.

The boat was owned by a couple who had hoped to restore and sail it. However, that never happened and the boat remained at home.

After the owner and his wife died the house was sold and the new owner looked for assistance to remove it.

At the time, Guernsey Prison workshop supervisor Dolly Gray was looking for a boat restoration project.

‘We got a call from the owner who said it’s all yours if you can come and get it.

‘The boat was built into the first floor of a barn.

‘It took about an hour to get it out,’ said Mr Gray.

As well as Mr Gray and the homeowner, the Lifeboat crew also assisted with the move.

The boat was restored by prisoners through Creative Learning in Prison, under which inmates can develop and learn skills through different projects.

‘There were bits missing, so things had to be rebuilt and remade using a bit of imagination,’ said Mr Gray.

Guernsey Prison deputy governor John de Carteret said a number of the prisoners would have been involved with the finished product.

‘I think they get a lot out of it, they can give back to the community and it keeps them busy learning new skills.

‘They take a lot of pride in it as well,’ said Mr de Carteret.

Once completed, the prison was looking for a suitable place to display the boat and contacted Floral Guernsey.

Chairman of Floral Guernsey Pat Johnson said the foundation had worked with the prison before on other projects.

‘They said, ‘‘do you know where it might go outside” – to us, it was worthy of being inside.

‘The quality of the work done by the prisoners is exceptional.

‘I think it’s also important that people see the work that’s gone into it,’ he said.

Mr Johnson said Floral Guernsey was very pleased that the hospital had allowed the boat to be displayed.

Floral Guernsey schools coordinator Gerry Tattersall said: ‘If you’re a patient waiting to be seen or in for an operation, or you’re a visitor, it’s something to look at while you wait.’

The Insurance Corporation covered restoration and transportation costs of the boat.

Sales director of the company Stuart Wilson said they had sponsored numerous Floral Guernsey projects.

‘It’s nice to be involved with projects like this,’ he said.

n Guernsey Prison is looking for another boat for Clip. Anyone who could help with this should contact Mr Gray on 246578.