Beating the Sea Bounds – what’s that all about?

We were recently invited by The Society for Poole to display a stand at Beating the Sea Bounds 2024 – an invite we were delighted to accept.

But what is Beating the Sea Bounds?

According to the Society, the original purpose of “Beating of the Bounds of Poole Harbour” was to “check the various marks and boundaries of the original Winchelsea Certificate, awarded to Poole in 1364, to see that the “bounds” or boundary markers still exist, that they are in the correct position and that there has been no encroachment upon waters belonging to the Port of Poole”.

By the 17th century the ceremony had morphed into an event put on for public enjoyment and participation. Today, the event is held to honour the original tradition and allow for fun and games as well as charity fundraising.

Our stand was manned by MVS Poole volunteers with a view to promoting our work and to hopefully attract new members. Volunteers manned the stand in shifts throughout the day.

Thanks to our members who helped – Sheeran, Chris Y, Paul, Sue, Chris Y, David and Mike and to The Society for Poole to kindly inviting us to join their event.