Dee Caffari and Brian Thompson help paint iconic Union Flag doors
by Artemis Offshore Academy on 23 Jun 2012
Record breaking offshore sailors Dee Caffari and Brian Thompson, Mayoress Jane Rann, Cowes artist Lynn Young and pupils from Holy Cross primary school with Head teacher Tim Eccles were the first guests to paint the Union Jack doors of Columbine Shed. Lloyd Images
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Today, Friday 22nd June 2012, record breaking offshore sailors Dee Caffari MBE and Brian Thompson braved the strong winds and picked up a paintbrush to make their mark on the world’s largest permanent image of the Union Flag at the home of the Artemis Offshore Academy in East Cowes. Also lending a hand with the painting was local Cowes artist Lynn Young, East Cowes Mayor Jane Rann and pupils from Holy Cross primary school with head teacher Tim Eccles.
'Nobody can deny that 2012 makes you proud to be British and it’s awesome to have this flag on our doorstep,' said British solo offshore sailor Dee Caffari: 'Every sailor and every visitor to Cowes sees this flag, it is something to be very proud of.
'We’re incredibly lucky in to 2012 to not only have the Diamond Jubilee but the Olympics in our home waters, it’s great and something that makes you very proud to be British. Artemis are a proud sponsor of British sailing and this is their home.'
Originally painted in 1977 to mark the Silver Jubilee, today the Artemis Offshore Academy is giving the iconic doors a new lease of life to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympics, a truly great year for Britain. Renowned offshore sailor, Brian Thompson went on to state: 'This Flag is a real icon, I remember it as a kid and it’s fantastic that it is being restored to its full glory.
'This project is brilliant for the Isle of Wight, thousands of visitors every day will see this Union Jack. It’s a real landmark, and it’s a real privilege to be asked to be part of the process of starting to repaint the flag and I hope it’s around for hundred of years to come.'
Already a dab hand with a paint brush and famed for her Union Jack paintings, local Cowes artist Lynn Young today made her own impression on the mammoth doors of the Columbine Shed: 'I’m used to painting flags on a much smaller scale!' laughed Lynn. 'Everyone has had a great day here today, and it’s something we and the children will remember for years to come.' Twelve pupils from Holy Cross primary school in East Cowes also came to make their mark in history today, along with their head teacher Tim Eccles who had to say: 'It is fantastic to be involved in this project, and thank you Artemis Offshore Academy for inviting us!'
Originally commissioned by Managing Director of the British Hovercraft Corporation Mr R. Stanton Jones in 1977, the Union Flag was only ever supposed to stay in place for the year of the Silver Jubilee. However, Isle of Wight residents soon adopted the design and the Union Flag has since looked proudly out over the Solent for the last 35 years.
The Union Flag painting was opened today by East Cowes Mayor, Jane Rann, who said of the project: 'The flag means a great deal to East Cowes and we’re thrilled that the Artemis Offshore Academy have decided to do this. The Union Jack doors are an iconic part of East Cowes and you’re know you’re at home when you see the flag.'
Built by British aero- and marine-engineering company Saunders-Roe in 1935, the Columbine shed now plays home to the Artemis Offshore Academy, a British academy of excellence for solo offshore Artemis Offshore Academy website
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