For the attention of the Chairman of NEMT
On Saturday, the second of August, I decided to travel down from Amble to visit the North East Maritime Trust (NEMT) to see how their team of volunteers were progressing with the restoration of the Coble Golden Gleam and was disappointed to find both the workshop and slipway closed and discovered on my way home, the Rachel Douglas, looking like she had been abandoned in the so called ‘South Shields Marina’.
One might argue that to say abandoned is a bit strong but I cannot imagine that she was sent down from St Peters Basin, last weekend, other than to be given some care and attention on the slipway owned by the charity of which you are currently the Chairman and it would appear that someone associated with NEMT, if not an actual member, holds a key to the gate shutting off the path by which the Rachel Douglas was moored by tying her to a couple of railing posts.
The path was part of what is now known as The King Charles III England Coast Path but the piece of it against which she is moored was given to the residents the flats overlooking the ‘marina’ by South Tyneside Council in 2017 and I was one of those who protested as soon as the gate was put in place and one of those who first came up against those in the Council who were willing to support the closing of the path to the public. The case is now with the Defra Team and I sincerely hope that you have not sided with those in the Council who were against the public.
In the latest NEMT Newsletter you said on Page 1 – for those who wish to see the complete newsletter, please contact, alec.renwick@gmail.com:
Headline News – As you may know, our original website has been hijacked by a former member and is being used to disseminate incorrect information sometimes bordering on slander. This member left under a cloud of rancour and suspicion many years ago and his membership was rescinded. Our new official website can be found using the following link: www.nemaritimetrust.org.uk.
You had over four months to respond to my email of the 16th November 2024 where I pointed out that the website nemaritimetrust.co.uk was never yours, it had not been hijacked by anyone but moved by me to another provider because you had gained control of the original website by giving misinformation to one of the agents of the former provider TSOHost and I am still waiting for your response:
Unfortunately our site has been almost destroyed by scamming, but we are trying to sort it out.
As you can see, certain nasty Trustees of Northumbrian Fishing Heritage Trust (NFHT) have deleted some of our precious content. Pathetic, isn’t it!
However, this disgraceful act has pointed NEMT in the direction of rebuilding our now outdated website, which we hope will soon be active.
Thank you for your patience.
It was not almost destroyed by scamming but had to be rebuilt from scratch from what I had rescued from the original site and my own records.
Your Newsletter of April 2024, said of the same website:
Headline News – Due to unforeseen circumstances our Website is currently still offline. We apologise if you have been affected by this or for any inconvenience caused. But be assured that we are trying to sort this out, in the meantime please be patient. However, our new Website below will replace and be much better than the original which was very unreliable anyway. Once this horrible little gremlin has been removed we hope to be back on-line very soon with our new improved Website address as follows – www.nemaritimetrust.org.uk
The Website was not offline but placed in a temporary home by the so called horrible little gremlin while he rebuilt the Website that he had maintained for over 10 years. It was your calling me one of the certain nasty Trustees of Northumbrian Fishing Heritage Trust on my own Website that forced me to move it to another Provider. I discovered in March 2024 that you had not only persuaded TSOHost’s agent to make you an administrator of the website nemaritimetrust.co.uk but also had managed to persuade her to remove me at the same so that I could not correct your false accusation.
If I had been able to correct your lie about certain nasty trustees I would not have had to move the Website to another Provider which brings me to what I consider to be one of the low points in the Gremlin’s Tale where I had to correct the misinformation given, to me of all people, on the 19th March 2024.
I copied Messrs Lund and Parker and Sue Griffiths into my email to you in November last year because it appears that none of them ever questioned any of the lies repeated in your newsletters and emails and this brings me to your Consider Urgent Email to the Chair of NFHT on the 15th March 2024 which I consider to be a personal attack on both Peter and myself:
Against Peter, ‘It is apparent that you, presumably acting for (NFHT), have sent an unauthorised personal letter to NEMT members which contravenes data protection laws and your previous position as Secretary of this Trust.
Against me, ‘I also notice that Mick Dawson (NFHT) has conspired to scam our website with similar unauthorised data, blocking any input from NEMT.
If you were asked to provide just one of those unauthorised personal letters or any unauthorised data you will fail because there were no unauthorised personal letters and likewise you will fail to provide any examples of similar unauthorised data. It was not I who blocked you from any input to the Website because you had ensured that I had no access to my own site a while before 15-Mar-24.
In November 2020 I noted that someone had complained on Facebook that Peter had left Golden Gleam to rot on a farm near Seahouses and let you know a member of the Coble and Keelboat Society was being unreasonable and you responded favourably with:
Many thanks Mick,
This Facebook post is a typical example of todays social media frenzy, which can be so damaging if not acted upon.
I call them “keyboard warriors” who mostly either don’t have a clue or just want to cause trouble from the safety of a screen.
As you know, we’ve had some of that at NEMT!
Pleased it’s now sorted out.
Yet less than four years later you were falsely accusing me, in your newsletter and elsewhere, of stealing the Website Nemaritimetrust.co.uk from you and writing to the Chair of NFHT on 7-Jan-23:
Please find the following attached by Mick Dawson an NFHT director, most of you will not know him. However apart from more aggressive, personalised emails to me, which I find objectionable.
Now both you and I know that I had been a long standing member of NEMT since at least 2004 and most members who were around at the time I moved to Amble in 2017 would have known that as well. What they would not have known was that there had never been any aggressive and or personalised emails sent by me to you or any other member of NEMT and I challenge you to produce one.
One does have to look far to find the reason for your personal attack on me and it is the settlement of Mr Gordon Brown’s Legacy to the two Trusts NEMT and NFHT made at a NEMT Board meeting on 16th May 2018 where it was determined to split the legacy unevenly between the two Trusts and very much in favour of NEMT.
May I remind you that you predecessor wrote regarding the Legacy a reply to an official complaint 2019-09-30, this copy with numbered paragraphs was long and complex but it confirmed, that Gordon wishes, with regard to his bequest to the two Trusts, had not been met, see paragraph 7:
7. The next matter of rumour is the Gordon F. Brown legacy and a supposed improper transfer of NEMT funds to NFHT. Gordon was an honorary life member of NEMT, as well as a founding trustee of NFHT. Before his death in 2016, he informed both trusts of his wish to leave his housing property to be shared between both trusts. Because of the complications with NFHT not being a corporation Gordon arranged for all to go to NEMT – on the basis of proceeds being shared. Gordon’s note dated 14/9/15 confirmed this and NEMT agreed terms with NFHT on 16/5/18, confirming same in writing to NFHT on 22/5/18. This was following legal opinion on the arrangement received by NEMT from John Devine, Muckle LLP, on 15/3/18. To have ignored the wishes of a dying benefactor would not only be wholly unethical, it would also have rendered it most unlikely that anyone would support NEMT with legacies in future.
Please explain why the decision, to split Gordon’s Legacy unfairly, was made. It was raised when I made my objection very clear to you in January 2023 so you have had two and a half years make amends.
Ethically yours
Michael Dawson
5th August 2025