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Her Majesty The Queen Celebrates 250 years of Marine Society & Sea Cadets
Added: (Mon Jul 17 2006)
Friday 14 July - Today Her Majesty The Queen will be the principal guest at a lunchtime reception celebrating 250 years of The Marine Society & Sea Cadets on board the Royal Navy’s amphibious assault ship, HMS Albion, moored at Greenwich in London.
As Patron of the nation’s most enduring maritime charity, Her Majesty will join 500 other guests to commemorate this unique anniversary on board one of the Royal Navy’s newest ships. On arrival she will inspect the Sea Cadets in a 96-strong royal guard and 70-strong massed band on the ship’s upper deck. Sea Cadets will also act as stewards and perform a window ladder display. The 250 Sea Cadets on board were specially selected from Units all over the UK and are spending a week living alongside the ship’s company having joined HMS Albion in Plymouth on Monday.
On 25 June 1756, following the outbreak of the Seven Years War, renowned merchant and philanthropist, Jonas Hanway gathered together some 22 interested parties in the King’s Arms Tavern in the City of London to discuss the effect that the war was likely to have on trading conditions. By the end of the evening, The Marine Society had been formed, with John Thornton as Treasurer. When the Society was incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1772, the Earl of Romney became President. As The Marine Society celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, members of both the Thornton and Romney families are still serving the organisation as trustees, a line of dynastic continuity that can be claimed by very few charities anywhere in the world.
In his speech at the reception Vice Admiral Sir Tom Blackburn KCVO CB, Chairman of The Marine Society & Sea Cadets, will announce a £2.5 million fundraising appeal to build a new power-training ship for the Sea Cadets. He will say: “The challenge for those of us who have inherited this marvellous legacy and vibrant charity is to advance its purposes as best we can. We believe that one of those means is to continue with the sea training that has always been part of The Marine Society and is the very core of the work of the Sea Cadets. I am delighted to announce today that we are to raise £2.5 million to acquire a new power vessel that will provide much needed additional capacity for sea training for both boys and girls. We believe that this will contribute to the ongoing effort to make our nation and our young in particular more aware of Britain’s reliance on the sea.”
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About The Marine Society & Sea Cadets
Founded in 1756 as a response to the recruitment and trading challenges brought about by the Seven Years War, the original aim of The Marine Society was to rescue destitute boys from the streets, give them a suit of clothes and train them to work on board the King’s ships. Its activities have broadened to incorporate the provision of libraries to ships, book selling and education to seafarers in both the Royal and Merchant Navies. It currently has over 350 students aged from 16 to 60 reading a range of subjects at all levels and all by distance learning. Many of its learners have studied and successfully taken exams in war zones. Some 18 subjects are available at GCSE, and a further 14 at A level. It also offers degrees via the Open University and Middlesex University. It provides financial support to UK seafarers to help advance their academic and professional qualifications. It supplies libraries to ships and currently has 100,000 books in circulation on board a total of 400 ships. In November 2004 it merged with the Sea Cadet Association to form The Marine Society & Sea Cadets, bringing the management of the Sea Cadet Corps into the charity’s remit.
About the Sea Cadet Corps
Founded in 1899, the Sea Cadet Corps is jointly supported by the Royal Navy and its parent charity, The Marine Society & Sea Cadets. Each of the 386 units throughout the UK is an independent charity, raising funds and support in the local community. The Corps offers a wide range of largely free activities for boys and girls aged 10-18. It aims to encourage good citizenship and provide worthwhile qualifications, experience and adventure for young people. It gives them the opportunity to learn life skills whilst having fun and making friends. The dedicated volunteers who staff the units are selected with care and are fully qualified to work with young people.
For more information and to find out how you might be able to support The Marine Society & Sea Cadets contact Melanie Bowran on 07885 222755, mbowran@ms-sc.org or click on website: www.ms-sc.org
About HMS ALBION
Launched in March 2001 by HRH The Princess Royal, HMS Albion is an amphibious assault vessel and the ninth ship to bear the name. As a Landing Platform Dock (LPD) ship, her primary function is to embark, transport, and deploy and recover by air and sea troops and their equipment, vehicles and miscellaneous cargo, forming part of an Amphibious Assault Force. She is 176 metres long, 28.9 metres wide and has a displacement of 18,500 tonnes. Her top speed is 18 knots. The ship’s company numbers 325 plus an embarked military personnel of 305, with an overload of a further 405. Her vehicle deck can take six tanks or 30 armoured all-terrain tracked carriers. Her floodable well dock can take either four utility landing craft or shelter a hovercraft landing craft, and her 64-metre flight deck can land two medium support helicopters and stow a third. The current Commanding Officer is Captain Keith Winstanley MBE RN.
Editorial contact for more information, photographic and interview opportunities:
Melanie Bowran, tel 07885 222755, email mbowran@ms-sc.org