A BARGE trust and education charity have teamed up to bring courses on celebrity sailors, shipwrecks, sea shanties and more.

The Thames Sailing Barge Trust have joined up with the adult education charity Workers Education Association (WEA) to organise a series of courses.

The Mysteries of the North Sea Platforms is the first of the four courses starts on February 23 in Maldon Town Hall.

It tells the history of how the army and navy platforms built off our coast formed a crucial part of defence in the Second World War.

The platforms went on to be pirate radio stations, film sets and even in one case a micro nation.

The next three courses include:

  • Money, Power and Yachting, March 2 - Examines how sailors from Tollesbury and Mersea became celebrities.
  • Shipwrecks of the Thames, March 9 - The stories of the shipwrecks under our waters from Roman times through to the Anglo-Dutch wars and on to World War II
  • A Maritime History in Sea Shanties, March 16 - A fascinating insight into maritime history, looking closely at various sea shanties.

This is the first in what is hoped to be a regular partnership bringing courses on sailing history to the people of Maldon, partly funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Each course is £7.90 per person and will start at 10am, lasting 2 hours.

Book in advance by contacting 0300 303 3464 or visiting bargetrust.org/events.

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