The Conscious Sisters CIC is a community interest company that has been running innovative events and projects in Plymouth since 2019. For the past 4 years its work has focused on connecting Plymothians to our blue and green spaces with projects such as Fishing Friends which teaches people living in social housing to catch and cook fish sustainably and Being Well in the Woods, which uses natural environments to improve people’s mental health. Run by real life sisters Fiona and Karen Evans the company has launched a Crowdfunder campaign to support a new coastal heritage event in Plymouth based on the Barbican.
The Gansey Gathering is a sardine festival that will be produced in 2026 in collaboration with the local community including local fishers. This special event will celebrate Plymouth’s working-class coastal heritage with a focus on our fishing industry. It will remember times when the Barbican was full of fishing boats, herring girls and huers shouting “mackerel against the wall”.
The event will also be celebrating the little-known history of the sardines which rescued Plymouth from starvation in the Siege of Plymouth (1642- 1646). In February 1643 as the city was on its knees, a large shoal of sardines swam into Sutton Harbour and Plymouth was saved.
As part of an ongoing project teaching local people to knit a gansey, which is a heritage fishing jumper worn in Plymouth in the 19th and early 20th century. The Gansey Gathering will also provide an opportunity for our gansey knitters to parade in their vintage fishing jumpers.
Fiona Evans, Director of The Conscious Sisters CIC, says:
“The vision is to create a community festival that celebrates our coastal heritage past and present and the humble sardine. It’s really a chance for the community to get together, to parade around in ganseys (fishing jumpers), listen to shanties, marvel at our giant sardine and its shoal, enjoy a ritual to honour the ocean, eat nice food and so much more.”
There are many fantastic Crowdfunder rewards on offer such as knitted gansey sardines, fishing lessons and coastal heritage walks. For anyone who donates £25 or more to the Crowdfunder they will receive a free Janner Gansey knitting pattern for people to knit this unique garment themselves.
To donate follow this link https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/gansey-gathering