A bumper family event is taking place this weekend to celebrate Dumbarton’s iconic Skylark IX.
The Skylark IX Stories event, which is part of the celebrations for Scotland’s Year of Stories, will take place at the Scottish Maritime Museum on Saturday.
Stories and memories of the legendary Dunkirk ship and of people living in and around Dumbarton will play centre stage at the event which will also feature children’s activities, song and poetry performances, free entry to the museum, and a preview of the new Skylark IX community tapestry.
Jade West, community engagement co-ordinator at the Skylark IX Recovery Project, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the support of community organisations and individuals across the area who have joined us to create a fabulous, free summer event with something for everyone.
“As well as all the performances and activities, we’ll be chatting to folk about the Spirit of Skylark Centre and inviting everyone to share their thoughts. We’ll also have some fun merchandise on sale to kickstart our fundraising.”
The Skylark IX Stories event will take place during the 82nd anniversary of Operation Dynamo, the mass evacuation of 338,000 Allied Troops from Dunkirk during WWII.
Visitors will hear stories of Skylark’s wartime service and her working life as a passenger boat, while there will be a rare opportunity to see memorabilia from her time taking veterans out for remembrance events on Loch Lomond.
Visitors will also enjoy a sneak preview of the new Skylark IX community tapestry being created by the project’s textile group, Skylark IX in Stitches.
The team will also be on hand to share embroidery techniques with those who would like to add a stitch or two to the tapestry.
Every Voice Community Choir, Dumbarton’s popular, dementia friendly singing group will get toes tapping with two performances on the day.
Other live performances will include poems and stories by writing groups at The Phoenix and Reid Macewen Activities Centre at Erskine Veteran Village as well as talks on Skylark IX’s history.
There will also be fun family crafting with model boatbuilding with recycled materials and storybook or ‘zine’ making.
For a tasty treat, Alternatives community-based Recovery’s Sweet Success Café will be serving up delicious gingerbread, lemon drizzle cake, Victoria sponge and other freshly baked goodies.
