Tall Ships from all around the word arrived in Lerwick Harbour for a four-day celebration in July 2023. There were stalls, musical acts, so much food, dancing, fireworks and for many members of the NB team, the culmination of two years of hard work.
The Tall Ships Races annual race series has been arranged by Sail Training International since 1956 and continues to provide life- changing adventures for thousands of young sail trainees every year. This year, tall ships sailed into Shetland from Norway.
NB began working with the Tall Ships Lerwick team back in 2021, designing and building the Tall Ships Lerwick website, which launched in 2022.
We then began working on the PR and marketing for the event. That involved creating and supporting the Tall Ships team with everything from social media paid ads to the organisation of filming in Lerwick for BBC's The One Show. NB were also sponsors of the event and we were exceedingly proud to be so heavily involved in such a high profile and successful event for Shetland.
Adam speaks about his time, “With responsibility for co-ordinating media and communications for Tall Ships Lerwick, my week at the event was non-stop. It wasn’t all work, however, and it was great to soak up the atmosphere, meet loads of people, and enjoy some of the music at Victoria Pier and Holmsgarth.
"It was a privilege to be involved with such a high-profile event and a pleasure working closely with the local, national, and international media sharing updates, images, and films.”
David G spoke similarly of the feeling, saying a highlight was “the happy atmosphere around town.
I enjoyed photographing the ships lit-up at Holmsgarth on the fine Thursday night, with a bonus of noctilucent clouds in the sky. I posted some photos on my photography website.”
David was also crucial in setting up the online livestream video players, allowing folk from around the world to see what a special event the TSR were in Shetland.
Chris also worked on the initial website project as lead developer.
During the event however, Chris played a slightly different role. He rocked Holmsgarth with Shetland favourites, First Foot Soliders. “Playing on the big stage at Holmsgarth on Friday evening with First Foot Soldiers that was to several thousand people was quite a moment, and still a bit of a blur. Not sure it will be topped to be honest...”
Chris got some family time in during the event, “with the superb weather on Thursday we actually took refuge from the rays in the science tent, which both I and the bairns really enjoyed. On Friday a drizzly 30 min wait for a sassermaet roll on Victoria pier was made much more enjoyable by Girsie + Da Loose Ends playing in the tent. Later on I caught the marching conga in the street.”
Alexandra had her Promote Shetland hat on all weekend, collecting footage from all over Lerwick to create short form content for social media channels.
“It was one of those absolutely mad and hectic times that flies by because you’re having so much fun. One night we were in Mareel dancing to techno beats and then about six hours later I was on Victoria Pier trying to get shots of the Princess Royal in the rain.”
Project manager, Eleanor took time off over the Tall Ships to enjoy the event with her family. “I had a fantastic time at the Tall Ships, my son, who is 4 years old, particularly enjoyed all the exciting things to do on the pier, and we spent a lot of our time playing in the sandpit in front of the Alexandra Building.
"My highlight was seeing Yann Tiersen play a gig on the street in Lerwick. I’ve always wanted to see him perform and couldn’t believe my luck that he was in my hometown.”
A massive congratulations to the Tall Ships Lerwick team who did an excellent job of putting Shetland on the map with the event, we are very proud to have been a part of showcasing everything Shetland has to offer.