Ullswater Steamers (not time-sensitive

MY RAVEN BACK IN SHIP-SHAPE! Ullswater ‘Steamers’ Complete Preservation Project on Second Oldest Vessel

One of the Ullswater ‘Steamers’ iconic heritage boats has been revived, as the 133-year-old ‘MY Raven’ has been fitted with a brand new deck during a significant restoration project.

Raven has been cruising the length of Ullswater in the Lake District since 1889, as one of the original ships of the Ullswater Navigation and Transit Company which was used to transport goods, mail, and passengers.

Listed on the National Historic Ships register, M.Y Raven was originally built as a steam vessel but was eventually converted to diesel powered Cumming Engines in the 1930’s.

Now visitors for years to come will still be able to enjoy Raven, thanks to the recent completion of large restoration project led by Hamish Patterson of Patterson Boat Works, to lovingly restore her back to ship-shape.

Above: Raven’s new deck

Left: Raven Photo Credit: Jeff Ashton

Below: Historic image of MY Raven

Hamish worked alongside the team at Ullswater Steamers to replace the upper decks with 70 square-metres of sustainably sourced Iroko. Meanwhile her saloon has been refitted with American Light Oak, with the whole project being proudly finished to a first-class yacht standard.

Barry Crellin, Engineer at the Ullswater Steamers says,

“Raven has been brought back to her former glory, the whole team worked really hard to finish this project to a high standard and the results are superb! There is so much history in these vessels and projects like this ensure we are protecting the rich 160-year history of the Steamers so they can enjoyed by visitors for years to come.”

Raven is back out on the water now and passengers can sit back and relax from onboard, whilst enjoying the spectacular views across the Ullswater valley.

Raven was officially added to the Steamers fleet on 16 July 1889 after identifying a need for a second boat during the peak holiday seasons. She was built on the Clyde and delivered in sections by train to Penrith before being transported by horse and cart to Pooley Bridge.

She was christened ‘Raven’ by Miss Winifred Parkin, aged 6 – legend has it the younger the person that names a boat – the longer she will live! Which is certainly the case for Raven who is still cruising across Ullswater almost 133 years later.

“So, what are your rocking chair regrets? ”

As a small child I remember dressing up in my gran’s clothes and slipping my tiny feet into what felt like enormous shoes. My gran was my rock in life and sadly she died when I was just eight. I now see those oversized clothes as a metaphor for how we take on the rules of others. They are not ours; they are probably not in alignment with who we were born to be and as we grow up they don’t actually fit us very well. And that’s when dissatisfaction, frustration and feelings of “there must be more to life” can surface. Often badged as a middle age crisis. Looking back to my childhood, it becomes obvious to me now that my natural pathway in life would involve creating clothing that enables people to express who they truly are. Sadly though, like so many others, I was pushed down the route of “get a good career” and so took an alternate pathway, which ultimately led to life changing burnout. Anyway, here I am today in the embryonic stages of my new business, Goddess Style & Design. Getting myself back onto a pathway that aligns with who I was born to be. There is a ‘test’ that I do with clients to understand their motivation for change; it’s called the rocking chair test. Imagine you are at the end of your life, sitting in your rocking chair watching the world go by, what regrets about your life do you have? It’s an opening question to explore your heart’s desires. And I can tell you now, no-one ever says I wish I worked harder! My new venture came out of using these tools for myself. I now combine my 30+ years as a transformation expert with my Style Coaching practice, Magnetic Mind Coaching and my love of shape, texture and colour to deliver my signature framework My Goddess Style Expression™. As women, we are all Goddesses, it’s part of our true nature. We somehow decided to put on the clothing that society told us to. “The fairer sex”. And even with legal frameworks and equal opportunities, we still keep our true power hidden. As a Goddess, you were born to be powerful; to live a balanced, bountiful and beautiful life.

In approaching this new venture, I have followed the ‘Way of the Goddess’. Ensuring that I don’t drop solely into my masculine energy of doing, doing, doing into exhaustion. That way burnout lies. The approach is a forward momentum in a balanced way, simply by taking the next obvious step to my end result. August saw the virtual doors opening to my free community ‘Living My Goddess Life Style’, sharing resources and providing opportunities for women to reconnect with themselves on a deeper level to create their own lifestyle expression. And me being me, of course there is lots of fun on the agenda. In all honesty, I created the community partially for self-care reasons. I am on my own Goddess journey undergoing a course in Fashion Design and I wanted to be surrounded by women who are supportive and undertaking their own transitions and changes. My ultimate intention is to create a

My Obvious Next Step...

brand that combines transformation with clothing in a way that is sustainable, stylish and has the savvy shopper at heart. Clothing has a massive impact on people around the world. Those who produce the raw materials, those who create the fabric, those who construct the garments all the way through to the disposal of the clothing, when it has been discarded because it is no longer in vogue. All whilst driving down the costs at every step; that’s the agenda of Fast Fashion. I invite you to think about your own clothing. Maybe, it doesn’t matter to you, maybe you don’t need to think about the impact your purchases have on the world; as well as your own purse. Some people are already making a difference by selling or donating their clothing. Swap out events are fabulous for the experience of having something new to wear and they are often used to raise funds for charity. During our time in lockdown, pondering the sourcing of fabrics, I connected with a lady in Cambodia to explore the production of silk. I had previously visited the country in 2011 and purchased a number of silk items from a designer I met. I asked the lady about the people who harvested the silk and what it involved. The silkworm suffers as a consequence, yet they become part of the staple diet keeping the harvesters from starvation. In India, I discovered that a process has been developed that doesn’t harm the silkworm, but the silk is of a very different grade and price compared to the process that involves the death of the silkworm.

All our fashion choices have consequences. Some are obvious, others are not. Maybe you are a woman who, like I was, has a very busy life. You visit the wardrobe and one of two things happens: your wardrobe is bursting at the seams yet you have nothing to wear or, you wear the same drab things over and over not being able to deal with having to think about what to wear. Our wardrobes are extensions of ourselves, of that conditioning and the rules that we dressed up in so long ago. Become aware of your self-image (self-conscious) and you’ll develop an understanding of your current external environment. This gives you the freedom to create new rules for yourself. Ones that bring colour and joy back into your life. I am pleased to say that I now have my Goddess Studio in Preston, giving me the opportunity to work with women on a one-to-one and small group basis, supporting them to create their own Goddess Style Expression - from the inside out. So, what are your rocking chair regrets? Imagine, from that place of sitting on that rocking chair, and you are able to travel back in time to this point in the here and now. The path in front of you divides. One fork brings you back to the rocking chair of regrets, the other to your deepest desires fulfilled with no regrets. Let me ask you then, what is the obvious next step for you to take now?

Here is the link bit.ly/GoddessLifeStyle to join my free community. I’d love to welcome you aboard this Goddess voyage of life.