The town of Falmouth in Cornwall is synonymous with the post office packet service of the 17th to 19th centuries. Packet ships were used to deliver the mail around the world during these times, but today we don't have a replica Packet ship to celebrate this historic service. Falmouth Packet Ship CIC aims to build a replica Packet ship in the coming years

This Just Giving page is to raise funds to renovate the 85-year-old fishing punt 'Boy John', a ship's boat that will eventually be the tender for the Packet ship.

'Boy John' is a 14ft carvel-planked punt built around 1935 and a classic boat in her own right, built in Truro, Cornwall. Local willing volunteers will restore Boy John, so all of the funds raised here can be spent on materials. Young people recently out of Falmouth Marine School have already put their names forward to help out, which will allow them to add something special to their CV's.

The Packet Ship itself will require its own crowd-funding page sometime in the near future. Our aim is to make the ship pay for itself through the use of sail training, chartering, TV and film work and sailing experiences for paying customers to allow them to learn traditional maritime trades. This will allow us to use it for the community when it is not 'working'. School groups will have free access for educational purposes and we want to offer free experiences for local disadvantaged adults as well as respite for carers and a place of temporary escape for those suffering from stress and PTSD.

This ship will truly be a vessel for the community.