Welcome to Morecambe Maritime Festival CIC
Our Vision:
Bringing Morecambe’s communities together to celebrate our Maritime Heritage.
What do we do?
We plan and manage a wide range of activities on the sea front and in local venues to benefit the local communities by:
- local community groups and small vendors having the opportunity to showcase their products and services to the local and festival visitors.
- strengthening the sense of community civic pride through workshops based around our fishing & shipping heritage and our maritime environment.
- offering activities which enable:
- all ages to engage with the relationship between local wildlife and the environment.
- young people build their self-confidence and communication skills by creating and performing songs and creative writings to be showcased during the festival.
- offering local performers the opportunity to develop their performance skills through the experience of performing with national Maritime singing acts.
- increasing local business opportunities from visiting tourists coming to the festival.
Festival Board – Our Directors
John Metcalfe: Executive Director
- His work experience includes project managing multi- million pound projects, developing, quality management and running IT training courses.
- He has organised and run the Arnside Maritime Singing festival since 2019. During his involvement in Lancaster Folk Club since 2018, he organised Folk & Maritime Festivals raising money for Cancer Care and the RNLI.
- He is an experienced performer and leads Morecambe’s Sea Shanty Crew “The Mizzen Crew”
- In the above he has managed the club finances and bank accounts.
Casey Knowles-O’Sullivan: Non-excutive Director
Imageto be provided
- His work experience includes managing various businesses and the coordination of various events and festivals, for over one thousand attendees.
- He is an active member of the community and is currently running art based events including Painting and Poetry.
- In prior involvement he has been involved in fundraising events for Charity, including Breast Cancer Awareness and Disaster Relie
Matt Panesh: Non-excutive Director
Imageto be provided
- His work experience includes developing and delivering Moreambe Festivals such as Fringe Festival, Poetry Festival for over one thousand attendees.
- He works with local community groups creating opportunities for developing performance skills with young people.
- Matt also manages a local community theatre group called the Playhouse.
Festival Board – Our Volunteers
Rebecca Ansell: Volunteer
I bring over ten years’ experience in business administration alongside more than thirty years of involvement with community and voluntary groups.
I’m passionate about creating engaging community events that celebrate local culture and bring people together, and I’m excited to help make this year’s festival a memorable experience for everyone involved.
My role involves keeping operations running smoothly, helping to connect and support volunteers, and ensuring stallholders have everything they need for a successful festival.
Come and Join The Crew
Since launching in 2024, the festival has grown significantly, featuring community fayres, maritime workshops, traditional music performances, local drama and storytelling, with consistent visitor growth and positive community impact. Our 2026 goal is to consolidate our organisation and business model to ensure long-term sustainability and develop new partnerships with funders, sponsors, and other maritime festivals across the UK.
We are looking for people to join us to cover the following roles. The Festival Board supports these roles by offering flexible working arrangements including roles being shared with other volunteers.
There is the potential for these roles to transition to paid position as funding is secured, and opportunity to develop skills in community engagement and cultural programming. These voluntary positions reflects our commitment to recognising the value of these roles as we work towards sustainable funding.
To find out more about each role please register via popup screen, or the link at the end of the list of roles. Alternatively you can email us.
The Community Engagement Role will be responsible for building strong relationships between the Morecambe Maritime Festival and local community groups. This role is crucial in ensuring the festival reflects and serves Morecambe’s diverse population, creating meaningful opportunities for local participation and engagement in celebrating our maritime heritage.
The Sponsorship and Partnership Development Role will be responsible for building sustainable funding relationships and strategic partnerships that support the festival’s growth and impact. This role is crucial in ensuring the festival’s financial sustainability while developing meaningful collaborations with organisations that share our commitment to maritime heritage and community wellbeing.
The Finance and Funding Role will be responsible for overseeing the festival’s financial management, leading grant applications, and maintaining relationships with our accountancy firm. This role is crucial in ensuring the festival’s financial sustainability, compliance, and growth through strategic funding development and robust financial governance.
The Marketing and CommunicationsRole will be responsible for developing and delivering the festival’s marketing strategy, managing all communications channels, and overseeing festival merchandise. This role is crucial in building the festival’s profile, attracting diverse audiences, and creating a strong brand identity that celebrates Morecambe’s maritime heritage.
The Festival Planning and Delivery Role will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of festival planning, coordination, and delivery, ensuring a high-quality experience for visitors, participants, and partners. This role is crucial in translating the festival’s vision into reality through effective project management, operational excellence, and comprehensive post-festival evaluation.
The Governance, Legal and Compliance Role will be responsible for ensuring the festival operates within all legal and regulatory frameworks, maintains high standards of governance, and fulfills its obligations as a Community Interest Company. This role is crucial in protecting the organisation, supporting effective board operations, and ensuring accountability to stakeholders and the community.