THIS JUNE will once again see Calstock buzzing with Morris Dancers, sea shanties, steamboats and more as Calstock Heritage Weekend is set to return to the village for the first time since the pandemic.

Over the weekend of June 10 and June 11 people will be able to enjoy a Roman fort dig and exhibition, steamboats, vintage cars, storytelling, heritage walks, local history and music. It’s also very likely that there’ll be a sea shanty workshop followed by a performance led by ACapella Moonshine, an all ladies sea shanty choir from Falmouth.

On the evening of June 10, Calstock Village Hall will have the popular bluegrass band Kit Hillbillies performing supported by the Tavy Tars.

Over at St Andrew’s church, Exeter University Archaeological Unit with Dr Chris Smart will be resuming their Roman excavations and there’ll be an exhibition of finds from the previous digs. The team will be setting up trial pits to the North side of St Andrew’s Church boundary to establish the location of missing fortifications for the Romans.

For those that fancy stretching their legs a bit, why not join one of the heritage walks and discover more of our amazing locality, or chat to the Calstock Parish Archive team?

There will also be the opportunity for local schoolchildren of Calstock Primary School to participate in a heritage storytelling workshop.

Ian Richards, the event organiser spoke of the creation of the weekend from the Calstock Steamboat Rally in 2019.

‘People had such a great time at the steamboat rally and out of that the concept of an annual event came’, said Ian.

‘This year we’re resurrecting it.

‘The heritage weekend is an umbrella to draw different heritage activities and interests in the Tamar Valley.

‘We have such a wealth of heritage activities whether it’s mining, agriculture and the heritage weekend is an opportunity to flagship that.’

Ian also explained that he is appealing for anyone with an interest in the heritage of the Tamar Valley to get involved.

Ian said: I would like other people to get involved because at the minute it’s a one-man show.

‘If anybody has heritage activities they would like to showcase that would be brilliant.’

Calstock Parish Council are supportive of the event and stated: ‘The Parish Council are very happy to support the Heritage Weekend being held in Calstock.

‘There will be lots of interesting items so come along and join in the fun.’

At present there are no precise timings for the heritage event, but these will be made available as soon as they are confirmed.

For further information, updates or if you fancy getting involved, please contact Ian Richards on: 07771523505 or email: [email protected].

You can also see updates on the Calstock Heritage Weekend Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/calstockheritageweekend.