UK/South West England

Next Meeting:

16/04/2026 - 19:00 BST

City College Oceansgate, 2 Vivid Approach, Plymouth, PL1 4RW

'Plymouth Sound National Marine Park' - Sam Balderson

Zoom Link

Gallery:

ISPS Code Presentation from Paul Symons

'Being Alongside Seafarers and Fishers as a Stella Maris Port Chaplain' - Ann Donnelly

'Mental Health and Mental Wellbeing in England's Commercial Fishing Fleet' - Skylar Collins

'International Maritime Organisation' - Chris O'Flaherty

Announcements

19 Mar 2026

International Maritime Organisation - Chris O'Flaherty

For our March 2026 branch meeting our members got to hear from Chris O'Flaherty on his work as the Nautical Institute's delegate to the IMO. An inspiring talk on how our members are directly represented on an internation stage. Chris also introduced the institute's STEER project.

19 Feb 2026

Fishers' Wellbeing - Skylar Collins

Thank you to Skylar Collins, a marine social scientist at the University of Exeter, for delivering a presentation to our members on the challenges surrounding mental health and wellbeing in the fishing industry.

Upcoming events

16 Apr 2026

City College Oceansgate, Units 6 - 12 Discovery Court, Vivid Approach, Plymouth, PL1 4RW

NI SW Branch Presentation - National Marine Park - 19:15 BST

The Talk: Plymouth Sound National Marine Park is the UK’s first of its kind, located in Britain’s Ocean City. It was created to give more people the chance to experience the sea, connect with it in their own way and feel part of it. The park is getting more people involved and giving them reasons to care – from school sessions to hands-on nature programmes. It invites everyone to enjoy the sea and play a part in restoring what makes it so special. In this talk I will explore the relevance of this to the Maritime Industry and how we can work together.

The Speaker: Samhas spent many years living and working on small, remote islands.This included 7 years in the Seychelles as a research diver and conservation centre manager. As well as the tropics, Sam has spent time living and working in the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. With a Conservation MSc from UCL, Sam has a passion for nature and particularly the marine environment.