Joining the Raybel Team
Emma leading brick making workshop at the wharf.
Discovering the deep roots of the local community; surfacing the old stories, the ones held by grandparents; shedding light on the stories of migration and culture; remembering the old industry and the changes that shaped the culture of the buildings and homes that sit on the old river Bourne. This heritage I first learnt about as a child, hearing tales of the Paper Mill, and then hearing of its demolition.
As a teenager I learnt on the Geography trip walk from Highsted School to Milton High Street about the old yellow brick making industries grown from the chalk and clay of the earth. As an adult I learnt through looking at the old photos on the walls of Barrows Bakery cafe where I worked and talking to the customers there. Now I learn about the area with fresh eyes, through the eyes of the restoration of Raybel.
I first heard about the Raybel and Sail Cargo while working with Global Generation on the old docklands of Surrey Quays, London. Sparking an interest, I asked my parents if they had heard about the barge restoration at Lloyds Wharf. My dad, Rod - now a volunteer for Raybel - and myself decided to find out more.
The area looks very different from when I grew up and worked there. In less than a decade Sittingbourne High Street has morphed and the new constructions of the cinema and Travel Lodge stand solidly as you walk out of the train station. When we explored, the wooden mast of Raybel growing upwards from behind the Pets At Home was a sight for sore eyes... a building project with heritage, something ready to tell the stories of the community, and a vision of carbon-neutral cargo transported by the power of the wind.
Meeting the Raybel team, I quickly saw that their dedication to the community of the area and finding a way to celebrate the heritage of the changing landscape was paramount to their involvement in her restoration. I decided to apply for the Directorship vacancy, hoping to get involved and bring my experience in heritage, community food growing, and greenspace design, to the team.
It was a powerful moment for me, when I stood on the Wharfside and thought about the area that I grew up in and the opportunity I have to work alongside the team and local residents to celebrate the area and evolve new spaces.
I had a taster of exciting things to come when I worked alongside Faye, Interpretation Creative for Raybel, and Swale Migration young volunteers in the creation of Paper Bricks for the Raybel Charters Exhibition. Since meeting the passionate volunteers who have been working on the restoration, the young people documenting her form through photography and art, and through my experience of craft and growing, I have become an advocate of the power in hands-on projects to learn and connect.
When I visited for the exhibition open day it was beautiful to see people coming down, to experience together the curated space and work of people older and younger. In the way I see the world, access to land, sustainable goods, and heritage are often not accessible to everyone. Raybel and Lloyds Wharf has a role to play in changing this story, creating spaces for and with the local community.