Late in 2023 we were contacted by Finley, a school student in the south east of England. His school encourages students in Year 9 to undertake projects over a long period of time to explore something they have an interest or passion in, in depth.

Finley contacted us to ask lots of questions about coracles as he had decided coraclemaking was to be his chosen project! Many emails have been passed back and forth, not only with the Society but with our friends in Carmarthen. We have shared with Finley lots of information and resources, and Finley has also had many emails and video calls with Malcolm and Julie Rees to enable him to build his first coracle.

Recently, Finley took a trip to Wales with his freshly built coracle to meet Malcolm and Julie and to christen his creation in the Towy under the expert guidance of Malcolm. 

We look forward to sharing more from Finley about his project with our members soon, but in the meantime here are some photos of Finley creating his first coracle. Whilst in Wales Finley also met with local BBC News and radio crews to share his story, and clips from these broadcasts are also included below

Credits

Photos: Finley

Video and audio: BBC