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One producer, one randomly generated postcode, and the search for an unheard story.

One producer, one randomly generated postcode, and an unheard story unfolding in a corner of Britain we wouldn't otherwise know about.

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The Patch: Sunderland Point, Morecambe

Sunderland Point, Morecambe

BBC Radio 4 - The Patch, Sunderland Point, Morecambe

A village that gets cut off twice a day by the tide, and the shanty crew who live there.

The random postcode generator leads to a village that gets cut off twice a day by the tide. A 15-strong shanty crew live here, but the crew have been shaken by recent events.

One random postcode, and a story you probably haven't heard before.

Sunderland Point near Morecambe is unique. It's the only mainland place in the UK which gets cut off twice a day by the tide washing over its only access road. The village has been here since the 1700s - it was the original port in the area before Lancaster was built, and it is steeped in history. There are things about living here which are a step back in time, too. There's no gas supply - so there's a culture of competitive drift wood collecting. There are no shops, no pubs, just a public toilet block which the 50 villagers all look after on a rota, and a reading room where they can get together. 

But what the village does have is a 15-strong shanty crew - "a raucous rowdy bunch who love a drink... and singing at the tops of our lungs".  When producer Polly arrives in the village to meet the shanty crew, she stumbles into a moment of change. Trevor, the Sunderland Point Sea Shanty Crew's co-founder, has just moved to the other end of the tidal road, with his wife Margaret. "We almost regard Trevor and Margaret as the mother and father of Sunderland Point" - this is the story of why they decided to leave, and what happens next.

Produced and presented by Polly Weston in Bristol
Editor: Chris Ledgard
A BBC Audio Wales and West Production

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