The Marine Society has an important role to play in supporting our seafarers and it does it very well indeed. - Mark Dickinson, General Secretary, Nautilus International.

As part of the MCE 'Helping My Community' campaign, I am supporting my maritime community by raising money for the Marine Society. 

 The Marine Society is a charity that helps seafarers to learn new skills, gain accredited qualifications and realise their full potential. The charity offers tailored learning programmes to support learning and professional development at all levels, working hard to ensure that no matter where seafarers are, whether on land or at sea, they can develop their full potential. The Marine Society offers crew libraries, a book shop, and extensive learning and education programmes and is fully committed to supporting seafarers.

Sea Cadets is a sister charity of the Marine Society: It is a national youth charity that offers 14,000 10- to 18-year-olds across the UK water-based and land-based adventure, boosting their self-confidence.  The charity, which has 400 units, is supported by 9,000 volunteers, and has a five-strong offshore fleet, which gives young people adventure at sea at a heavily subsidised cost.  TS Royalist, see pictures, is the flagship of the fleet.

A scenic ride through the idyllic countrysides of both England and France. The 3 day charity ride starts at London Tower Bridge to Paris Eiffel Tower covering ~180mi: 
Friday 25th August – London to Newhaven – 65 miles;
Saturday 26th August – Dieppe to Cergy – 95 miles; and
Sunday 27th August – Cergy to Paris – 22 miles.

I was at sea with an oil majors shipping arm but desired to broaden my prospects in the maritime industry.  Nautilus International put me in touch the Marine Society, where I was awarded the Worcester Scholarship to help offset the costs of studying towards higher education. I returned to Warsash Maritime Academy to study BEng (Hons) Marine Engineering and Management. Whilst completing my degree dissertation I was fortunate to be taken on by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in October 2014. I started a 2 year graduate trainee surveyor programme and with support from the Agency I completed my degree in 2015, and qualified as a surveyor early 2017. I am grateful for support from the Marine Society as they strive to help seafarers of all ranks and backgrounds achieve their potential.

The Marine Society's work and contributions makes a difference to our industry. This is highlighted through my colleague and now good friend Steve Rogers. Steve joined the Agency as a Surveyor in Plymouth bringing his fishing experience and adding value to the role. Steve story:
"I am Steve, 49, and married for 25 years. I have 2 boys aged 29 and 23, and a 8 year old grandson.

I was asked to leave school at the age of 15 with no qualifications and went straight to sea as a fisherman. Starting at the bottom of the ladder, I worked my way up to mate of the vessel at 19. At 21, I attained my class 2 deck officer fishing ticket allowing me to skipper for the next 25 years.

I wanted to further my career and was put in touch with the Marine Society. Carla Rockson (Seafarer Education Manager) was fantastic! She explained everything to me including what academic route I would have to take. I was further supported by Bindu Sharma who advised and supported me all the way through the process to gain my qualification.

After passing online tests, I was awarded the Slater Scholarship fund of £17,500 to obtain OOW Unlimited. Upon completed STCW short courses, obtaining my Class 1 Deck Officer Fishing ticket I then sat the conversion course to Deck OOW Unlimited.

I decided to further my career and explore the industry for opportunities with the qualifications that I had obtained through help of the Marine Society. I took employment with the Maritime Coastguard Agency as a Marine Surveyor in April 2016. I am enjoying my time with the MCA and learning new things every day!"

The charity ride is part of the nationwide campaign, Helping My Community, run by Muslim Community Events: https://www.mcevents.org.uk/helpingmycommunity/overview/

Muslim Community Events - https://www.mcevents.org.uk
The Marine Society - http://www.marine-society.org/

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