Building work is officially underway
Find out what a group of students got up to when they embarked on a week's work experience
Ferry passenger milestone
Read more about the passenger who was delighted to discover they were passenger number 5 million on Scillonian III
Welcome to the summer issue of Delivering for Scilly magazine, full of the latest Group news. It has been a busy, eventful and, at times, challenging year so far. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you, as always, for your continued commitment.
Our freight team is an integral part of island life. Head to page 9 for an insight into the team.
Customers can now support Cornwall Air Ambulance with a voluntary donation when booking travel. Find out more on page 14.
Turn to page 17 to discover how two Skybus pilots took part in a festival to inspire girls to explore careers in aviation and aerospace.
Get a behind the scenes glimpse into next year's marketing campaign with our annual summer photo and video shoot on page 19.
School children from St Martin’s had a tour of Scillonian III in June.
Teacher Charlie Payne said: “I wanted to say a huge thank you to your team for welcoming us aboard the ship. You were so generous with their time and knowledge and it was the highlight of our day (grown ups too).
“We all learned loads and came away buzzing with information. Chloe and George in year 2 have already decided they are going to be the Masters of Scillonian IV.
“Thank you again for a brilliant time and look out for smiley St Martin’s children on the boat this summer – I know they’d love to say hello.”
With grateful thanks to all team members who’ve helped contribute articles and photos. Opinions expressed are the authors’ and not necessarily those of the company. Whilst every effort is made to ensure total accuracy Isles of Scilly Steamship Group cannot be help responsible for any errors or omissions within this magazine.
In May we welcomed the five millionth passenger on board our iconic Scillonian III.
Passenger number 5,000,000 was Nick Mair from Somerset, who boarded the ship in Penzance bound for St Mary’s with his wife Jacqueline.
To mark the milestone, he was presented with a pair of complimentary Scillonian III tickets and a bouquet from Scilly Flowers on St Martin’s by Master Victoria Bolitho.
Nick said: “This was such a surprise. It is our first trip to the Isles of Scilly and to be passenger number 5 million was such a delight. Everyone has
been so lovely and we really feel as though we have had VIP treatment. We’ve always wanted to visit the islands and can’t wait to do some walking and exploring and seeing somewhere we’ve always heard such great things about for ourselves.”
Stuart Reid, CEO, said:
“Welcoming our five millionth passenger on Scillonian III was a significant milestone for the Group and one which we are all immensely proud of.
“Our mission to provide regular, reliable ferry services to the islands remains as relevant now as it was when the company was founded more than 100 years ago.
“Scillonian has been a vital lifeline for islanders and a popular and affordable way of visiting Scilly for the many thousands of holidaymakers and day trippers who return to the islands year after year.”
During the last four decades, Scillonian III has made more than 10,000 return journeys between the Isles of Scilly and the Cornish mainland, travelled more than 688,500 nautical miles, and now carried five million passengers – including visiting Royals, past Prime Ministers and many celebrity visitors.
Transparency
Building work is now officially underway on our new passenger and freight vessels, with the first steel for the new ships being cut during a special ceremony at Piriou’s shipyard in Vietnam.
The event marks the start of the build and was attended by senior company executives from ISSG and Piriou.
Work will progress rapidly over the coming months, with the keel-laying for both vessels due to take place later this year.
The ships will be built alongside each other, to ISSG’s detailed specifications, by Piriou’s expert teams of engineers and fabricators.
The build is being overseen in Vietnam by project managers, Chris Lingham and Peter Broad, who have relocated to Vietnam for the duration of the build.
The steel cutting event was preceded with a meet-and-greet between ISSG representatives and Piriou’s workforce, alongside a presentation
about the New Vessel Replacement project and its importance to the Isles of Scilly.
Stuart Reid, CEO said: “This important milestone is a big step forward in our plans to bring new, purpose-built vessels to secure the future of the lifeline sea link between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
“Being in a position to commence the build-phase of the project has been a real team-effort, both from ISSG and also from our excellent project partners, Piriou.
“We have been planning this moment since we commenced our New Vessel Replacement programme in 2019, and being here to cut the first steel for the new ships is a very proud moment for the Group.
“When these new ships enter service in 2026, they will greatly improve the resilience and reliability of our fleet, bringing in a host of environmental benefits and service improvements.”
Head over to our website to listen to the first two episodes in our new podcast series. In episode one we caught up with project manager Chris Lingham and site manager Peter Broad. In episode two our CEO Stuart Reid talks about the steel cutting ceremony.
To listen scan the QR code or go to: https://bit.ly/3Ls8HjG
An integral part of island life, the Steamship Group has been regularly and reliably carrying freight to the islands since it was founded more than a century ago.
It’s fair to say our year-round freight service allows islanders to conduct their lives and businesses without restriction.
Isles of Scilly Freight is made up of four dedicated vessels - Gry Maritha, Lyonesse Lady, Swift Lady and our newest addition, Gugh, which joined the fleet in June.
But it’s the people, rather than the infrastructure, that make the freight operation work effectively and seamlessly, earning it a reputation to be proud of.
The department is headed up by Andy Fogden, freight and commercial manager, who joined the Steamship Group last August.
He said: “Our freight employees really are unsung heroes. They’re out on the quay in the wet and dark in the depths of winter; at sea when everyone else is tucked up in bed or, like the team in the freight office, quietly working behind-thescenes, keeping everything ticking along and making sure it runs smoothly, for the people and businesses of Scilly.”
37 people make up the freight team – 15 crew members on board the four vessels; nine in the Penzance quay team, managed by Neil Harvey; nine in the St Mary’s quay team managed by James Squire; three in the Penzance freight office managed by Amanda Donovan and a freight administrator in St Mary’s.
Freight was carried on Scillonian until 1989, when we purchased our first dedicated freight ship, Gry Maritha. Three times a week, all year round, the Gry carries up to 100 tonnes of cargo from the mainland to the islands. She carries everything from palletised cargo and large goods to the smallest and most fragile of packages, including food and fuel, animals, vehicles, medical supplies and building materials.
It is all loaded and unloaded by the valiant quay teams, who are also responsible for docking and undocking the vessels and maintaining operational procedures.
Lyonesse Lady delivers freight and Swift Lady delivers post to
the off-islands six days a week.
Andy added: “The fact we can ship whatever people need or want makes me realise how important what we do is to the island community who live and work there.”
Gugh is a welcome addition to Isles of Scilly Freight, providing additional flexibility and capacity at a time when several large infrastructure projects are planned on the islands, including the hospital and care home redevelopment, the town hall and museum redevelopment, South West Water upgrades, two housing developments, expansion of the Co-op store and upgrades to fibre broadband.
Isles of Scilly Freight also has plans for an out-of-town storage facility in west Cornwall to provide a medium to longterm storage solution for customers on the islands. The facility will also be used as a consolidation point for a lot of smaller freight, such as daily DPD deliveries, which could shave 48 hours off current delivery times.
Marketing coordinator
Jade Thomas has been awarded a final grade of distinction in her digital marketer level 3 apprenticeship through BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.
Jade joined the Steamship Group in August 2020 with a degree in graphic design and visual communications, and five years working background in marketing and design with an online jewellery retailer.
With the Group’s support, she enrolled in an apprenticeship which covers both practical and strategic methods of effective digital marketing with a focus on helping businesses increase profitability.
The course was completed with Digital Peninsula Network (DPN), based in Penzance, which delivers innovative
training courses in partnership with employers to over 2,500 participants across the South West of England and manages the largest network of ICT and digital businesses in Cornwall.
She completed her normal work duties, including content planning and creation, design work and web maintenance, over four days and used one day a week towards her apprenticeship.
Over the duration of the course, she gained certificates in Principles of Coding, Marketing Principles and a Google Analytics Individual Qualification, before the final end point assessment which included a comprehensive portfolio of work examples, a 40-hour project and a 1-2-1 interview assessment.
Jade said: “I feel thankful to have been given the opportunity to enrol in the
apprenticeship and gain additional qualifications with ISSG. A huge amount of work went into my final assessment portfolio and end project, and I am really pleased that the hard work paid off. It has been challenging at times juggling my course and work duties, but it has been both rewarding and enjoyable. I have learnt so much, DPN is incredibly knowledgeable on the course topics and has also been really supportive throughout.”
As part of our pledge to invest in our people – and encourage employees of the future – we are committed to nurturing, mentoring and training our employees.
Sharon Sandercock, Marketing and Communications Manager, said: “Since she joined the Steamship Group in 2020, Jade has become an integral part of the marketing team and we are all proud of this well-deserved result in her apprenticeship.
“Our people are at the heart of the Steamship Group and everyone who works here has an important role to play.
“We are investing in the long-term, to make sure our employees keep learning and moving forward in their careers.”
Sioban, senior tutor at DPN said: “Throughout the programme Jade demonstrated excellent planning and understanding of her target market, creative development of campaigns that resonated with audiences, and a wide range of technical competencies that ensured positive outcomes for the company. We have been delighted to work with the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group to develop Jade’s skills and knowledge in partnership with the marketing team.”
One of the marketing team’s tactics for promoting Isles of Scilly Travel to potential new customers is to offer trips to the islands to a carefully selected group of press and social media influencers.
The idea behind these trips is for the press and influencers to share their journeys and time on Scilly with their audiences, online via blogs, websites and social media and in traditional print media using content including photos, videos and written features.
The coverage must include pre-agreed deliverables, and we then have access to quality content to use in our own promotional materials.
We gift complimentary travel but rely heavily on the support of island businesses – including hotels, restaurants, activity providers and boat operators – to make these trips happen.
These can be day trips or short stays, with travel on Scillonian III or Skybus, from any of our four departure points.
In 2023 we are proud to have hosted 28 different trips to the Isles of Scilly, which helped us reach new audiences and expand our customer bases.
We target specific press and social media influencers whom we believe are a good match to our services, and that we will appeal to their customers.
These exclusive partnerships, which entail months of research and work before they happen, allow us to engage directly with the large followers of each platform.
With the help of businesses on Scilly, we create bespoke itineraries, tailored to the theme of the campaign or media outlet, for each trip to ensure they get the most out of their time on the islands and experience everything there is to offer.
One success story was that of content creator Alicia Cooper, who is known on social media as @thechaosdiaries. She visited the islands in June 2023, and shared her stay on St Martin’s with her 290,000 followers on Instagram. One of the incredible video reels Alicia made about her time on the islands has currently been viewed more than 1.3 million times.
It’s not always about the numbers. Our focus also ensures our promotional campaigns reach certain target markets and align with our overall strategy.
We also support the Islands Partnership, Tresco Island and other Scilly businesses with their own press trips.
Thank you so much for your understanding, quick replies to a very anxious mother and for making sure that they got the Scillonian. Your help is very much appreciated and you were very understanding so thank you very much. My morning would have been much worse without your correspondence.
I just wanted to take the opportunity to write and say thank you to the staff onboard Scillonian and at St Mary’s quay – I travelled with my autistic son yesterday and everyone went above and beyond to make our journey as straightforward and easy as possible.
I often get anxious travelling back to Scilly alone with my son, particularly on the quays at either side – and so I really appreciate the effort the crew went to for us, with minimal fuss, but maximum kindness and understanding. It really makes a huge difference to families like ours.
Particular shout out to the purser, whoose name I’m not sure of, but who even came to ask how we were getting on mid journey and made sure we could disembark swiftly. Thank you so much for creating an accessible and inclusive service.
We returned from a gorgeous week in the Isles of Scilly last week and just wanted to say how wonderful the airport staff are! Particular thanks to pass on to Douglas, who found my little boy had left a precious toy in the airport when we left and returned it to us - so appreciated! Look forward to returning to the islands again next year.
I was due to travel on the Thursday boat and can I just say how brilliant all communication from you has been. Text, email, voice message and another phone call. And so easy just to be transferred to Friday’s boat. Great customer service, thank you!
I just wanted to thank everyone for being so helpful and good humoured whilst the flights were delayed yesterday due to the high winds. It must be really “trying” at times dealing with people who do not understand what it is like to live on an island and the limitations of Skybus in inclement weather. I thought you all did brilliantly in keeping everyone informed, fed and watered. I haven’t been on the Islander for years and thoroughly enjoyed the trip back.
Thanks so much for this and for all your personal help today, it really has made a difference to our level of anxiety and restores our faith in Isles of Scilly Travel. Thank you for going the extra mile. It means we can really look forward to our very first visit to the isles without worrying that we have missed the boat… as it were!
Our customers are at the heart of everything share some of our recent comments with to all our employees for making these
everything we do and we’re delighted to with you here. A big thank you, as always, these comments so commonplace.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank you very much for your excellent customer service, in particular to a lovely woman who phoned us on Saturday evening, shortly after we had received a text advising us that the crossing on the Scillonian on Monday 27th would be very rough.
Your advice was for day trippers (like us) to cancel and rearrange. Since the office was going to be closed for 2 days over the bank holiday we were a little anxious about how we were going to be able to cancel!! However, the lovely woman who called processed our refund there and then. So, a big thank you for that, we will rebook again soon.
I would also like to say that I had travelled on the Scillonian last Wednesday on a day trip, we had calm waters and a beautiful day. My first time on the ship, we have always travelled by helicopter or plane before.
Three days holiday lost due to a broken helicopter and no back-up. Thankfully Isles of Scilly Travel came to the rescue with this warhorse starting up again for the season. Great trip, thank you.
Just wanted to say that everything worked like clockwork and was fun to see in operation! You and other staff have been incredibly helpful, relaxed and friendly before and while travelling to the islands and back. With two kids, a dog and the kayak it was a fun adventure! We all loved the holiday and getting there and back was really part of it.
I just wanted to say thank you to you all for introducing the student fares on the Scillonian –it’s very generous.
This sailing was during poor weather. I am naturally a very poor sailor which was further complicated by a recent heart procedure. The combination of which made this a most unhappy trip. Whilst it was a little disappointing they couldn’t get a steam iron out and flatten the sea the crew were so supportive and kind to both me and my partner. They are a huge credit to your company and the absolute best marketing tool you have. Whilst I will mourn the passing of the beautiful grand old lady Scillonian III I do look forward to number 4, which offers quicker and more stable transport, I just hope the heart of the ship, the crew, can be easily transplanted.
A massive shout out to Jeanette and Kelly in the office on St Mary’s. I had been struggling to change my day of travel due to my dog, and they managed to get it done and were so kind and helpful. Things like this make someone’s day much brighter and there should be plenty more Jeanette and Kelly’s of the world. Thank you so much, professionalism at its finest.
We are proud to announce our support for Cornwall Air Ambulance, the charity tasked to over 1,000 missions across Cornwall and Scilly each year.
Our customers can now help the charity’s fundraising efforts by making a voluntary donation when booking travel.
Since April 2019, the Group has helped raise almost £140,000 for the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust and The Island Haven through voluntary donations when booking travel via its website and has now introduced the same method of fundraising for Cornwall Air Ambulance.
Cornwall Air Ambulance provides pre-hospital emergency care to people who are critically ill or injured. The team of specialist paramedics, doctors and pilots is operational 19 hours a day, 365 days a year, with an AW169 helicopter and two rapid response vehicles.
In 2023, the air ambulance responded to 28 missions on the Isles of Scilly and can be on the islands in less than 30
minutes.
It invests in specialist equipment that enables it to attend the Isles of Scilly. It carries lifejackets and a life raft on board the helicopter, it has built in floatation devices, and the aircrew undergo Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET) specifically so they can provide a service to the Isles of Scilly.
Grandad Michael Easton was visiting the Isles of Scilly when he suffered a cardiac arrest and needed the help of Cornwall Air Ambulance.
The crew airlifted Michael to the Royal Cornwall Hospital on the mainland where he underwent heart surgery to have a stent fitted.
He has been supporting the charity ever since and even won its lottery jackpot.
Michael said: "Hopefully I don’t need the air ambulance again, but it’s very reassuring to know it’s there.”
The charity needs to raise
over £7 million a year to keep running. It receives no government funding and relies on the generosity of the people of Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and beyond to keep flying.
Stuart Reid, CEO, said: “The Isles of Scilly’s remote location means it is many miles from the nearest major hospital, so knowing that the air ambulance could be with you in just 30 minutes in your time of need is a comfort to all who live and work on the islands.
“We are delighted to be adding Cornwall Air Ambulance to the range of charities and good causes we support. We are committed to giving back to the community we are proud to have been serving for more than 100 years, in line with our founding principles.”
The #HELi2 appeal is aiming to raise £2.85m to help Cornwall Air Ambulance secure a second AW169 helicopter. The charity says owning an additional highspecification aircraft will boost
its resilience and capability, meaning that when online it can always respond on the bestsuited helicopter for the service it provides.
Owning two AW169s will help the charity achieve 19-hour-aday availability by air all year round, where weather allows, and ultimately, it will help Cornwall Air Ambulance to attend more missions by air and to save even more lives.
Tim Bunting, Chief Executive of Cornwall Air Ambulance, said: “Our crew is ready to respond to people across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly who are critically ill or injured and are in need of pre-hospital emergency care. Last year we were tasked to over 1,000 missions and with the arrival of your second AW169 helicopter next spring, we will be able to attend more missions by air and ultimately save even more lives.”
The Group is proud to have continued its ongoing sponsorship of Five Islands Academy.
In September we announced that we were offering 200 Scillonian III tickets to pupils who attend the Academy to allow them to take part in competitive sporting events that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford to get to.
This spring a number of sporting events have been held where pupils of the Academy have been able to take part, compete, and enjoy.
In May, children from years three to six achieved an impressive 3rd place in the Active Quad Kids athletic event that was held at Mounts Bay Academy.
Adam May, from Five Islands Academy, said: “The pupils put up a really good showing of their running, jumping and throwing skills, with some competing for the first time against some quality opposition in the Active Quad Kids event. Big thanks to the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group for our travel to and from the islands.”
Earlier on in May, the all girls’ football team from Five Islands Academy were able to compete in the Under 15 Cornwall 7-a-side tournament on the mainland, finishing in 4th place!
Our sponsorship aims to ensure that pupils on the islands don’t miss out on sporting events and can compete alongside other children their age and make the most of opportunities presented to them.
During Scillonian III’s winter refit at the start of this year, the vessel had a replacement gyrocompass installed, which resulted in making another piece on board obsolete.
This equipment has since been donated to NCI Penzance, where it allows the charity’s volunteers to have relative bearings on their radar within the station, without having to manually calculate every bearing taken from the radar.
Tom Weise, Marine Superintendent, got the chance to see the gyrocompass in its new home for the first time in early July.
We are proud to be working with local charities such as NCI Penzance who make it their mission to help save lives around the coastline.
Our new freight vessel, Gugh, has been in service for more than a month and is already an integral part of the fleet.
So far Gugh has transported more than 100 tonnes of freight, including building supplies, vehicles and fencing.
Gugh is unique in our fleet as she allows freight to be transported direct to shore almost anywhere on any island.
The big freight movements related to the infrastructure improvements on the islands are about to start in earnest.
Over the next few weeks,
Gugh will be busy with more aggregate for various customers and transporting modular buildings that will be used for housing the contractors working on the islands.
Gugh is equipped with two cranes and has the ability to carry 50 tonnes of freight when fully loaded. She also has the capacity to carry up to 12 passengers, the same as Gry Maritha.
My children loved meeting Emily and Debi. Both lovely and very inspirational ladies. Plus the fancy dress with the different jackets and headsets was fun too. Would love it if they visited our school too.
Skybus pilots Emily Curnow and Debi Peskett took part in the first Reach for the Sky festival at RNAS Culdrose in June, to inspire girls in Cornwall to explore careers in aviation and aerospace.
The family festival, organised by the awardwinning TECgirls project, included real aircraft, a VR zone, science shows and hands-on activities and gave girls the chance to meet and talk to pilots, engineers and other professionals working in the industry.
In the UK, only 6% of pilots are female and there are similar challenges in engineering, manufacturing and tech sectors and the festival was set up to help tackle the gender imbalance.
Emily said: “What a privilege to be part of the inaugural Reach for the Sky festival. So many inspirational people engaging young people across the industries with exciting, hands-on and interactive activities.
“It is so important to have accessible and visible role models breaking down barriers, empowering girls, and as importantly, empowering boys to empower girls, into the wonderful opportunities that are theirs to fulfil.”
Catlin Gould, from TECgirls, said: “It was brilliant and both Emily and Debbie were the stars of the show. It was so inspiring for the girls who came along and a lot of people feedback that the role model talks were their favourite part.”
The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group’s second work experience week took place earlier this month.
Students aged 13-15 took time out of their usual school studies to embark on a week of work experience to explore different avenues of the working world.
We were thrilled to show the students various departments, sharing how we operate and service the islands while also displaying the different career opportunities available.
The students spent time with a range of departments – including the Travel Centre, accounts, freight, Skybus Engineering, fire crew, air traffic control, passenger handling and pilots.
The highlight of the week was a day trip to the islands, where the students had the chance to travel to St Mary’s on Scillonian III and return on Skybus. They not only got to tour Scillonian III, which included a peek at the bridge, and meet captain Victoria Bolitho, but they also got to experience watching Emily Curnow and Debi Peskett hard at work in the cockpit of their Skybus flight.
Amanda Pratley, HR Advisor, said: “It was great to see the students so engaged and interested.”
Thank you to everyone involved for helping to make this an experience the students will remember – from sharing their enthusiasm for what they do to offering their expertise on their role – this event wouldn’t have been the success that it was without the dedicated team who make up the Steamship Group.
It was so pleasing to see him so enthusiastic, detailing how much he enjoyed each experience. Your company gave my son the opportunity of a lifetime and I cannot thank you enough.
Thank you for such an amazing week, it has been one of - if not the - best weeks of my life!
Just want to start off by saying thank you so much for the opportunity to experience what the Steamship Group does and for an overall amazing week. The amount we were able to do and see was great and I will remember it for life.
We follow the marketing team as they island hop with photographer Nick Walker and videographers Pixel Rain, scouring the islands to find the locations that capture the uniqueness of the Isles of Scilly for our 2025 campaign.
Went on Scillonian last Wednesday... an amazing trip and the staff could not do enough for those on board. Both crossings were smooth a bit of a roll past Land's End, but that is to be expected but we had no iffy tummies...
You can walk around and go outside and the cafe served a good cup of coffee. Would highly recommend a trip to the Scillies on the old girl.
Have some adventure, yes it leaves early, but it's also a supply ship... We found the whole experience brilliant.
Exeter Airport 26 April
Yesterday we had 6 guide dogs in for training, they completed the passenger journey from check-in to the aircraft. To help with their training they used our AviRamp which we use for passengers who can’t walk steps. They also walked around the departure lounge to test for different textures and smells.
A huge thank you to Isles of Scilly Travel for allowing us to use their aircraft so the dogs could practice leading people on narrow steps.
This was a huge benefit to the Guide dog association but also to us as it provides continuous training for our staff.
The Mermaid Inn, St.Mary's @ScillyI
This old girl never lets you down !! The lifeline of the islands !!!!!!!!!!���� ��❤
SC3 on her way to Scilly this morning #pammyandthehoffonboard �� ���� @IOSTravel @IOSTravelupdate @IOSPS1 @IOSPartnership @ AmeliaMills1 @scillysailing @WillLethbridge #neverletsyoudown
2:31 PM May 13, 2024 4.4K Views
We came across on Monday and had a lovely crossing, (and not the first time) she might be old but at least she is reliable ��
#FlyExeter #SkyBus #GuideDogs #DogsInTraining 90 3 comments 12 shares
Cornwall Air Ambulance @cornwallairamb
Some of our fundraising team recently visited the Isles of Scilly, thanks to @IOSTravel
It was amazing to meet existing and new supporters and volunteers, thank you for making the team feel so welcome.
We are looking forward to welcoming the new volunteers to our Groundcrew, and we will see you all again on Scilly soon!
I use Skybus for day trips to see Mum and I can't fault the service, even if fog stops play I am kept informed and transferred to a different day with no issues at all. First class service and fabulous staff ��
4:41 PM May 1, 2024 992 Views