Chester Midsummer Watch Parades fundraising for new pirate ship has been a success:

“Ship Ahoy! We have done it! In November we launched the campaign to raise the £7K we
need to build a new pirate ship and we have now passed the target. Members of the public
have kindly pledged to donate to this worthy cause. The campaign has now stopped, and so
the pledges will be claimed to fund the building of the ship.

“We used the council Space hive platform that secures 50% match funding from the council if we are successful.

“Big Heritage kindly pledged £750 if we humorously called the new boat HMS Fart Box… luckily this was a cheeky joke that really helped us to promote the campaign!

The local councillors for the city ward also donated over £1000 from
their community budgets.

The funds will be used to build a new pirate ship for the Midsummer Watch Parades. It will be hand-built by local artist Russell Kirk with help from local volunteers. This new ship will serve the people of Chester for the next 25 years and beyond.#

Marko Williams, who has been a pirate in the parades for years & ran the fundraising campaign said; “We are so grateful to every single person that donated and are excited that we will have a new pirate ship this year! The response was amazing considering it was near Christmas and it has only taken us about 3 months to raise all the funds! I really thought it was going to be harder. It just goes to show how beloved our midsummer parades are!”

The Chester Parades Collective is a dedicated group of local volunteers, designers, and creators. The group has a long and unrivalled history in helping deliver an enthralling calendar of events and parades that entertain Cestrians & visitors alike and reinforce a unique sense of cultural identity for Chester and its residents.

The collective relies on support from local organizations and volunteers to continue its work with the Chester parades and to help ensure they are delivered in an accessible way, free of charge, for the enjoyment of all.

The Pirate Ship is an iconic part of the Midsummer Watch Parades, first mentioned in 1660, it has served to capture the imagination of Chester’s children and young people for many generations.

Chester’s Midsummer Watch is one of Britain’s oldest festivals – a tradition reflecting 500 years of the city’s history and we depend upon the continued support and involvement of local people to keep this exciting Parade alive, as a major mid-summer spectacle.