The Pirates in the Port Sea Shanty Festival in Newport returns this Spring and will be raising funds for three lifesaving services.
The event will see leading Shanty and Folk music bands playing at famous music venues across the city centre at the end of May.
It is being brought to Newport by Bois y Bryn, the Cwmbran-based shanty band and organisers of last year’s festival as well as 2024’s shanty festival in Barry.
The festival is free, but attendees are encouraged to make a Charity donation – with Wales Air Ambulance, the RNLI and SARA among the beneficiaries.
Band members Doug Hopkins and Stephen Morris are among the event organisers.
Doug said: “Bands from across the UK and overseas will be travelling to Newport to entertain audiences during our festival.
“The whole city gets involved; there is such a great atmosphere and there is music every hour. This year we are also being supported by the City Council.”
The first event was held in Barry in 2024 to mark the RNLI’s 200th anniversary. But last year the team moved it to their hometown of Newport.
Doug continued: “The local pubs and bars have really embraced the event, so we are back again.
“If you visit places like Cornwall, festivals like this are quite commonplace. I know Newport is the last place you would expect sea shanties, but it really works.
“Visitors have been so complimentary about what we are trying to achieve here.”
He added: “What’s fantastic about Newport, is that whether you travel in by car, train or bus, from the moment you leave the car park, train or bus station, you are within yards of a venue.”
Fifteen venues are taking part including the Corn Exchange, Le Pub, Fire & Ice, Hogarth’s and the Riverfront Theatre. With over fifty bands performing including The Beach’d Buoys, Steam Town Shanty Crew and Wrecked Again.
Stephen Morris said: “Our event is on the second weekend of the Summer half-term, that’s when there is a break in the shanty schedule. We have been so fortunate to secure a lot of the Cornish and Devon bands.
“Most shanty events obviously have a nautical theme, and therefore the focus is often on fundraising for the RNLI, which is a brilliant cause.
“But we wanted to include other charities like Wales Air Ambulance, which takes emergency medicine to the patient, wherever they are in Wales,
“SARA is also one of the beneficiaries. It’s a volunteer-run search & rescue charity operating lifeboats, flood response, and land rescue across the River Severn region.”
Wales Air Ambulance is consultant-led, taking hospital-standard treatments to the patient and, if required, transferring them directly to the most appropriate hospital for their illness or injury. It is delivered via a unique third-sector and public-sector partnership.
The Wales Air Ambulance Charity relies on public donations to raise the £13 million required every year to keep the helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road.
The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) supplies highly skilled NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the Charity’s vehicles.
This advanced critical care includes the ability to administer anaesthesia, deliver blood transfusions and conduct minor operations, all at the scene of an incident.
As a pan-Wales service, its dedicated crews, regardless of where they are based, will travel the length and breadth of the country to deliver emergency lifesaving care.
Doug said: “We hope the festival will shine a light on the amazing lifesaving work being carried out each day in Wales.
“Most people are aware of the role of the RNLI and SARA, but I think they might not know about the level of critical care the Wales Air Ambulance is able to provide.
“We will be sharing key messages about the work of the lifesaving services on our social media in the build up to the festival. “
Pirate in the Port Shanty Festival last year raised over £2,000 with bucket collections being held throughout the event and hopes to increase this in the coming festival.
Rob Coles, Wales Air Ambulance Head of Retail and Community said: “We are looking forward to what is going to be a music-filled weekend in Newport!
“The Pirates Sea Shanty Festival is a free event and wonderful at drawing in the crowds.
“But it has a deeper purpose, supporting lifesaving services like our Charity, the RNLI and SARA.
“This year marks our 25th anniversary, and our fundraisers are a big part of our Welsh success story.
“Events like this are so important! Every pound raised makes a huge difference and helps save lives.”
