A Weekend to Remember at the Portishead Sea Shanty Festival

On Friday evening and throughout Saturday, The Brightwell was delighted to be part of this fantastic community event at Portishead Marina. From the wonderful atmosphere and inspiring conversations to the unforgettable music, it was a weekend filled with connection, celebration and support.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to The 85ers, the talented sea shanty group made up of active RNLI Portishead Lifeboat volunteers, who organised the festival and chose The Brightwell as one of their charity partners. Many people may recognise them from their memorable performance for His Majesty The King at the Coronation Concert, and their passion and dedication were evident throughout the weekend.

A huge thank you also goes to everyone who helped make the festival such a success:

• Portishead Marina for hosting the event and playing a key role in bringing the festival to life.

• Fred Thomas, better known as ‘Betty’, and Pilchard the Pirate, who spent the weekend enthusiastically fundraising and entertaining visitors.

• Bristol Beer Factory for generously donating the bar and supplies, helping to keep festival-goers refreshed.

• Portishead Town Council for providing the grant funding that helped make the event possible.

  
  

One of the highlights for us was spending time at our stand meeting so many friendly and supportive people. We had the opportunity to share information about the neurological conditions we support and the therapies available at The Brightwell. We were also privileged to hear personal stories from individuals living with MS and other neurological conditions, as well as from their families and friends.

These conversations are at the heart of why we value events like this so highly. They help raise awareness of our work, connect us with the local community and remind us of the impact that specialist support can have on people’s lives.

Of course, no sea shanty festival would be complete without outstanding music, and the performances throughout the weekend did not disappoint. From start to finish, there was an incredible energy across the marina, with The 85ers and The Monkeyfists delivering a rousing finale on Saturday night that had the crowd singing along.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our stand, shared their stories, donated, sang, supported and helped create such a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Portishead, you made us feel incredibly welcome. We had a wonderful time and we’re already looking forward to returning next year! ⚓🎶💙