A new, community collaboration between the EHC and Shanty Shout
This year, leading up to November’s Shanty Shout Festival, we’re collaborating with the festival team on a new initiative: Shanty Kids. The aim is to provide local children aged 5–10 with the opportunity to learn and perform traditional Cornish sea shanties as part of the festival programme.
A series of workshops and rehearsals starting in late August will culminate in a performance in St Ia’s Church during the festival weekend.
We would love to have at least 15 children signed up. Each child taking part will also be given a special festival t-shirt to wear for performances and keep afterwards as a lasting memento of the experience. So if you have children or grandchildren of this age who love to sing – read on! This fun project could be tailor-made for them…
All Aboard! Who’s involved?
The workshops will be led by an experienced singer/workshop leader who also happens to be something of a Shanty expert. His name is Jason Wilkinson, otherwise known as Pilchard the Pirate.
Also closely involved will be our Shanty Kids mascot: Pirate Teddy. Ever since May’s Food & Drink festival, when he helped out in his pirate hat, he won’t go anywhere without it…
Project timeline
Here’s the rought timeline of events so far:
🔸 Mid-August: Shanty Kids one-day workshop at The Edward Hain Centre to learn traditional Cornish/ Maritime songs.
🔸 Mid-September (time tbc, but probably 4pm-6pm): Shanty Kids Afterschool Practice Session 1 at the EHC
🔸 Mid-October (similar time): Shanty Kids Afterschool Practice Session 2 at EHC
🔸 Wednesday, 18th November (probably also similar time): dress rehearsal / full rehearsal performance at a local residential care home.
🔸 Saturday, 21st November (sometime between noon and 3pm, but tbc): The big event! Shanty Kids’ performance as part of the Shanty Shout Festival on Saturday, 20th November 2026 in St Ia Church.
We will make any updates to this as plans evolve.
Sign up
The last crucial piece, of course, is the Shanty Kids themselves!
To find out more, including how to register a child to participate, please contact sharrong@edwardhaincentre.org.uk
Community Impact
We are very excited about the community aspect of this project. Whether it’s from helping children develop a stronger understanding and appreciation of their Cornish heritage and traditions, a sense of connecting over generations, or simply that working together as part of a group is a wonderful way to make new friends, we feel it offers a terrific benefit to our younger community members.
There’s also nothing quite like the sense of achievement that comes from performing in front of a live audience as part of a respected community festival, and the wider sense of belonging that can give.
This project is being part-funded by a grant from Cornwall Community Foundation through Cornish Business Club, with our thanks.
