The Box is a major cultural and heritage attraction and archive, which opened in Plymouth’s city centre in September 2020. Its collection, formally the South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA), is the regional film archive for the South West of England, comprising the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and Television South West (TSW). It also includes a significant number of donated film collections dating back to the early 1890s.
This film is part of Free
Able Yachtsman
Para sailor Mike enjoys the thrill of the wind in his sails.
In partnership with:
Overview
TV reporter Rene Wyndham interviews Mike, a disabled yachtsman who explains how he manages to go sailing solo. Filmed in Plymouth Sound, Mike's risk assessments seem informal but planning for the worst is part of sailing. Nowadays disability sailing offers recreational sailing with specially adapted yachts designed and developed for use by wheelchair users and for people with reduced mobility.
Advances in technology and programmes to encourage disabled people into sailing have also yielded positive results. Rules regarding safety at sea and disability awareness courses for coaches have increased take-up of the sport for recreation and competition. Para World Sailing is one of the few sports where disabled and able sailors may compete on equal terms and in mixed gender teams. Team GB regularly medals at the Olympics, the Paralympics and the Worlds in the competitive sailing categories. According to the European Disability Forum, one in two disabled people have never participated in leisure, cultural or sporting activities of any kind.
Related
Ian Dury Ian Dury
Biopic 1983 52 mins
Blockheads lead singer talks about how becoming disabled has affected his life and music.
Y Gwr O Gwr Yr Aran Y Gwr O Gwr Yr Aran
1978 29 mins Location: Llanuwchllyn
Teacher Frank Letch of Llanuwchllyn, Gwynedd discusses his life and living with his acquired disability in this TV documentary. In Welsh with English subtitles.
A Day in the Life of Kevin Donnellon A Day in the Life of Kevin Donnellon
1972 28 mins
An episode of World in Action documenting the life of 11 year old Kevin and how he and his family live with the effects of the drug Thalidomide.
Disabled Graduate Disabled Graduate
News 1981 6 mins Location: Cambridge
Disabled graduate Peter Thweeney simply wants the opportunity to be economically independent, and has ambitions to become a lawyer.
Disabled Boy Invents Speech Machine Disabled Boy Invents Speech Machine
News 1973 5 mins Location: Cambridge
Anglia TV report on the young disabled entrepreneur that has invented the Lightwriter, a communication device that won a British Design Award
Championship Swimmer Championship Swimmer
Current affairs 1967 1 mins Silent Location: Exeter
Champion swimmer Linda Hockworthy returns to the pool after a recent leg amputation.
Dingles of Plymouth Dingles of Plymouth
Advert 1960 1 mins Location: Plymouth
A charming regional commercial for Plymouth’s best loved department store.
Millbay Laundry Millbay Laundry
Advert 1960 0 mins Location: Plymouth
Help keep your relationship on track by outsourcing your laundry!
Comely Caviar Comely Caviar
Current affairs 1984 1 mins Location: Plymouth
Reporter tests the theory of caviar heightening libido.
Model Clipper Sailor Model Clipper Sailor
Current affairs 1965 2 mins Location: Plymouth
Former shipwright turns his talents to model-making.
Field Gun Practice at HMNB Devonport Field Gun Practice at HMNB Devonport
Current affairs 1962 2 mins Location: Plymouth
Gunboat Crews practise the Royal Navy’s field gun drill in preparation for competition.
Last Cooper Last Cooper
Current affairs 1967 5 mins Location: Plymouth
The last apprenticed cooper in the Royal Navy’s Royal William Victualling Yard undergoes a trusso, an ancient rite of passage.
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.