The appeal was launched over a year ago in an effort to raise £5000 to be used as matched funding for a Heritage Lottery bid, which would be used to rescue two iconic coraclemakers workshops before they deteriorated and disappeared into oblivion - namely those of the late Eustace Rogers at Ironbridge, and the late John Christmas Thomas in Cenarth, the home of the National Coracle Centre.

The Coracle Society committee thought it would be remiss of us if we did nothing and simply let the huts be scrapped in view of their historical importance to members of the Society and the nation, as their story plays such a significant part in our island’s rich cultural heritage.

The plan is, once we have secured funding and ownership, both huts would be carefully restored and fitted out as closely as possible to their original use, with information boards placed adjacent to them to depict their original use and the part their owners they played in the coracle tradition.

The Thomas workshop has been dismantled and is currently in store at the National Coracle Centre in Cenarth; Martin Fowler expects to make a start shortly in preparing the foundations, ready to erect the building before winter.

We cannot secure the Rogers hut until we have the funding in place. Therefore it is decided to close the appeal on Monday 30th September 2013 to enable us to apply for funding with whatever we have been able to raise amongst members.

At this year's AGM in Ironbridge we received a very generous donation from one Society member for £1000, plus other donations from members, which has brought the total fund up to £2583. The committee would like to thank everyone who have played their part in sending contributions and would like to invite anyone who wishes to make a donation to send us a cheque, however small, made payable to The Coracle Society, to Euan Raffel, The Coracle Society, Flat 3 12 Delven Lane, Castle Donington, DE74 2LJ. Alternatively, to make a donation by bank transfer please contact Euan by email: [email protected]

Dave Purvis