Crowdfunding appeal launched to make historic gig heart of museum

ON the eve of the World Pilot Gig Championships in Scilly a crowdfunding appeal has been launched with the aim of raising £35,000 to make the historic gig Klondike the centrepiece of the islands' new Cultural Centre and Museum, opening next year.

- by CORNISHMAN REPORTER

The campaign, called Gigs Might Fly, is being spearheaded by the charity Scilly Arts and Heritage, which is managing the project to create a hub for history and the arts in the Town Hall on St Mary's.

The plan is to suspend the boat in a cradle from the ceiling, and the museum will also include stories about the Klondike and other island gigs, celebrating Scilly's gig-rowing history and the shift in gigs' roles, from their origins as pilotage, lifesaving and working vessels to the racing boats of today.

Lydia Bassett, director of the Cultural Centre and Museum, said: "The Klondike is a real icon of the islands. We'd always planned that she should take pride of place in the new museum in the Town Hall.