insideKENT Magazine Issue 35 - February 2015 | Page 16

NEWS WHO WERE THE CHATHAM KENT RESIDENT SCOOPS OVER DOCKYARD WORKERS OF THE £3,000 IN PRIZES WITH IK'S GREAT PAST? THE HISTORIC DOCKYARD CHRISTMAS GIFT GIVEAWAY CHATHAM IS LOOKING FOR LOCAL Huge congratulations to Liz HISTORY DETECTIVES! Carter, winner of insideKENT's glittering Great Christmas Gift Giveaway 2014. Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust and the Medway African Caribbean Association (MACA) are working together to uncover Chatham Dockyard’s diverse heritage. In true Santa fashion, insideKENT's Alex Perseval spread the Christmas cheer and delivered Liz's impressive haul on Christmas Eve, just in time for the big day! Scooping over £3,000 in prizes, it's fair to say she was a happy victor indeed. Anticipating that dockyard workers from the 18th and 19th centuries had widespread origins, they are carefully examining pay book records, each of which contains hundreds of names. Work has already begun, family history is being researched, and the team is urgently in need of more volunteers to act as family history detectives. Volunteers will work alongside research specialists learning new skills to trace individuals through time. This fascinating work will support the Trust’s efforts to reveal the heritage of Chatham Dockyard workers of the past. It will be part of four superb new galleries, due to open in spring 2016 as part of a major re-launch branded the Command of the Oceans. Thanks to all who entered. Be sure to keep an eye out for a whole host of exciting competitions in 2015 too! Richard Holdsworth MBE, Preservation and Education Director at Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, said: “Command of the Oceans enables The Historic Dockyard Chatham to fully reveal – for the first time – Chatham’s truly astonishing story during the age of sail. Outstanding interactive galleries will take visitors on a voyage back to the time when the people of the Dockyard built ships for the Royal Navy, helping to establish worldwide command of the oceans.” MY KENT BIG WEEKEND 2015 SET TO BE THE BEST YET It is anticipated that among the names discovered within the records will be those of ex-slaves, who may have joined the Navy and ended up in Chatham. It is thought they then found work as free men in the shipbuilding industry, settling in Chatham and the surrounding areas. Well-known names have been previously spotted in these records, such as Chatham Cuffay, who is thought to have been a slave before working at Chatham Dockyard from 1779. His son, William Cuffay, was born in 1788 in Medway and he later famously campaigned for workers’ rights in the Chartist Movement. With registration now open for this year's spectacular My Kent Big Weekend, now is the time to snap up your share and apply for the thousands of tickets available to a wide range of Kent attractions. Organised by Visit Kent, the annual event sees scores of attractions opening their doors to lucky ticket holders on 21st and 22nd March as part of a countywide celebration of Kent’s fantastic tourism industry. Kent residents can apply for tickets to as many attractions as they like. Two tickets per household will then be allocated by ballot to the lucky winners, although some family tickets will be available as well. Last year, more than 115,000 people applied for the 20,000 free tickets donated by 123 Kent attractions. Carol Stewart, Chairperson of MACA, said: “Our organisation is very proud to be working with Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust on such an exciting project. I hope the project will help to put local African and Caribbean history on the map, enabling visitors to understand just how diverse Kent and Medway was in the 18th and 19th centuries. This is a great opportunity to develop a better understanding between communities. I hope that other people will be as excited about this project as we are, and assist in unearthing more information to help create this exhibition.” Attractions that have already signed up for 2015 include castles, cathedrals, go kart circuits, country parks, watersports centres, breweries, vineyards, wild animal parks, pottery workshops, and golf clubs. Registration for tickets closes on 17th February 2015. Details of all the destinations taking part can be seen at www.mykentbigweekend.co.uk. More information about the project and details on how to get involved are available by calling 01634 823860 or emailing [email protected]. For more information about Kent, visit www.visitkent.co.uk. www.thedockyard.co.uk 16