| 'All hands on deck' for SS Great Britain museum fundraiser Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 09:45, 21st March 2026 |     |
From the BBC:
'All hands on deck' for SS Great Britain fundraiser
About 100 people are competing to 'win' the SS Great Britain for a night
Competitors are preparing to battle over who can keep their hands on the deck of a historic steamship the longest to "win" the vessel in an "urgent" fundraising challenge.
The competition is part of the SS Great Britain Trust's 'All Hands on Deck' appeal to raise £180,000 in six weeks for completion of the ship's Dockyard Museum.
The last person with their hand touching the deck by 15:30 GMT on Saturday will get the Bristol-based ship and museum all to themselves and 40 other people for a night.
"This really is all hands on deck," said Louisa Pharoah from the trust, adding: "The new museum will be incredibly special as it's been created by the people of Bristol."
With 100 competitors expected to take part, there will be a series of distractions, including "Mr Brunel himself doing everything he can to deter even the most determined competitors", a spokesperson said.
Pharoah, the trust's director of people and development, said it was an "exciting chance to potentially win the ship for the night".
"And a brilliant way to rally together as a community to support one of Bristol's most important cultural icons," she added.
The SS Great Britain was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and launched from Bristol in 1843. It was the world's first iron-hulled screw-driven ocean liner and sailed around the world 32 times, covering more than one million miles (1.6m km) at sea, before being brought back home to Bristol in 1970 and eventually opened to the public.
If the fundraising target is reached, the new museum will open in July
The on-board museum closed to the public on 23 February to begin major redevelopment work. Although a £1.3m investment has been secured, local businesses, community groups and the public are being asked to support the fundraising.
Pharoah said the museum would "showcase the untold stories of those who travelled on the ship, from more than 50 different nationalities", with many of the stories uncovered by researchers from local Bristol communities.
The Trust aims to raise the funds by mid-April, with plans to open the new museum in July.
About 100 people are competing to 'win' the SS Great Britain for a night
Competitors are preparing to battle over who can keep their hands on the deck of a historic steamship the longest to "win" the vessel in an "urgent" fundraising challenge.
The competition is part of the SS Great Britain Trust's 'All Hands on Deck' appeal to raise £180,000 in six weeks for completion of the ship's Dockyard Museum.
The last person with their hand touching the deck by 15:30 GMT on Saturday will get the Bristol-based ship and museum all to themselves and 40 other people for a night.
"This really is all hands on deck," said Louisa Pharoah from the trust, adding: "The new museum will be incredibly special as it's been created by the people of Bristol."
With 100 competitors expected to take part, there will be a series of distractions, including "Mr Brunel himself doing everything he can to deter even the most determined competitors", a spokesperson said.
Pharoah, the trust's director of people and development, said it was an "exciting chance to potentially win the ship for the night".
"And a brilliant way to rally together as a community to support one of Bristol's most important cultural icons," she added.
The SS Great Britain was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and launched from Bristol in 1843. It was the world's first iron-hulled screw-driven ocean liner and sailed around the world 32 times, covering more than one million miles (1.6m km) at sea, before being brought back home to Bristol in 1970 and eventually opened to the public.
If the fundraising target is reached, the new museum will open in July
The on-board museum closed to the public on 23 February to begin major redevelopment work. Although a £1.3m investment has been secured, local businesses, community groups and the public are being asked to support the fundraising.
Pharoah said the museum would "showcase the untold stories of those who travelled on the ship, from more than 50 different nationalities", with many of the stories uncovered by researchers from local Bristol communities.
The Trust aims to raise the funds by mid-April, with plans to open the new museum in July.
