It is with great sadness that The Coracle Society announces the passing of Raymond Rees MBE, aged 79. Our thoughts are with his son and daughter-in-law, Malcolm and Julie, and the rest of the Rees family at this time.

Raymond was one of his generation's most well known coraclemakers, playing a key part in preserving coracle heritage in Wales. He was awarded an MBE for services to coracle heritage in 2011.

Video footage from this year's Ironbridge Regatta

Following on from two recent coracle builds by Dave Purvis and Chris Morgan, Barney O’Kane and his colleagues at the Down to Earth Project in Swansea, which caters for pupils with special needs and learning difficulties, decided it would be appropriate if they added two traditional Welsh coracles to their ever growing collection, for use on their many river expeditions during the year.

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.