Re-enactment to highlight sailors’ society’s foundation

The Sailors’ Families’ Society can trace its roots back to a meeting in a classroom of a boys’ school in Hull in 1821.

There, in a building in Salthouse Lane, founder members discussed their dream of setting up a religious society for the seafaring folk of the city. A Marine School for apprentices followed and in 1862 their first orphanage opened on Castle Row.

Thirty years later the charity bought six acres of land at Newland for a village for the orphaned offspring of seafarers.

It is now celebrating its 190th anniversary with the re-enactment at the White Hart pub on Salthouse Lane on Tuesday April 19, at 7pm, and hopes to host a reception in London later this year for its patron, the Princess Royal. Chief officer Deanne Thomas, who will be donning an 1820s costume at St Stephen’s shopping centre during the day, said it was seeing more applications for help because of the recession.

The charity is still based on the Newland site, although the last child moved out seven years ago. She said: “We’re still here and doing absolutely the same – providing help for the disadvantaged children of seafarers.