Welcome to the winter issue of Delivering for Scilly magazine, full of the latest company news. It has been an eventful winter for us all, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank you, as always, for your continued commitment.
Catch up on all of the latest Skybus news on pages 6-7.
We go behind-the-scenes of Scillonian III’s winter maintenance on pages 8-9.
Find out about the emergency exercise which took place at Land’s End Airport on pages 10-11.
We are committed to delivering for Scilly – read some of our great customer feedback on pages 12-13.
Meet our new transfer operator on St Mary’s on page 15.
Read how much we’ve donated to charity this year on page 16.
Well done and thank you to Rosie Tonkin and Alex Bonner, two of our firefighters and ramp operators at Land’s End Airport.
In December, Rosie and Alex were on hand to assist a British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) volunteer in rehydrating a very poorly seal that was flown across from the Isles of Scilly to Land’s End on board Skybus.
During the winter months, an increased number of seals are found washed up sick or injured. We are proud to be able to do our bit in helping BDMLR with their work and equally as proud of the good nature of our staff who have demonstrated their support without hesitation.
The seal was taken to a rescue and rehabilitation centre to be looked after.
Jono Stephens, Land’s End Airport’s Fire Service Manager, said:
“This was outstanding work from Rosie and Alex. A tube needed to be pushed down into the seal’s stomach and Rosie and Alex did not hesitate to help the volunteer when asked.
“The volunteer was very thankful to them and to the service we provide.”
T +44 (0) 1736 334240 marketing@islesofscilly-travel.co.uk
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 December, we were involved in filming for an international TV documentary on the Isles of Scilly, which was a tremendous opportunity for the Company.
A class of four and five year olds from St Mary’s CofE Primary School, Penzance, were lucky enough to visit Land’s End Airport in November on a school trip.
Teacher Anita Griffiths said:
They had such a marvellous time and did not stop talking about it for the rest of the day. During their visit they had the opportunity to watch planes taking off, helicopters landing and even managed to walk up all of the steps to visit the air traffic controllers at the top of the tower. This was slightly scary, but also very exciting as they walked around the outside of the tower.
The children thoroughly enjoyed their visit and remarked that the best parts were pretending to fly the plane and watching the water being sprayed from the fire engine. Thank you for a wonderful trip.
The show is the second most streamed programme on the channel it is broadcast on, viewed by more than a million people around the world.
The Steamship Company’s operations will feature extensively in the programme, which is planned to be shown in March 2023.
The episode will follow the story of Scilly Flowers on St Martin’s, and how they are transported from the island to the mainland.
Filming took place with Dave Mawer on Swift Lady transporting the flowers from St Martin’s; Island Carriers loading the flowers on St Mary’s Quay, transporting them to the airport and unloading them again; airport staff loading them onto Skybus and Richard Ashby flying them off the islands on an Islander.
Zoe Bourdeaux, from the Marketing team, said:
This was an exciting – and rare –opportunity for us to reach more than a million people with the story of how we provide a vital lifeline to Scilly, its residents and businesses.
We were delighted to take part and thank the Steamship Company employees on the islands for being so amenable to filming at short notice.
At this stage, we’ve been asked not to name the programme, or the channel it will be broadcast on, but we will let you know when it is due to be shown.
The show is made by a UK-based TV company and is currently producing its fifth series.
A little boy from Scilly drew a thank you picture for the crew of the Gry Maritha recently. The mother of three-year-old Nathaniel sent in the photo with the message: “Thank you for coming over in the rough weather to bring our food to the islands and all the other times you’ve faced rough weather.”
The Company had many memorable moments in 2022, and there’s nobody better placed to capture them than you –our employees. We’ve already seen some of the wonderful photos you’ve taken and would love to feature them in future editions of our company magazines. It could be something you’ve spotted, an incredible view or something happening behind the scenes in your department. If you have a photo showcasing the highlight of your year at work and would be happy for us to use it in print, please send it to Zoe Bourdeaux in the marketing team.
zbourdeaux@issg.co.uk.
The website Chat function is now in full operation and is going from strength to strength in both customer usage and staff capability.
Travel Club renewal is under way. We will move to a rolling 12-month renewal for islanders. This will improve efficiency and offer better customer service.
Land’s End Airport Cafe now has an alcohol licence. Chris Pearson passed his personal licence exam with 100%, which allows him to oversee and sell alcohol much like a landlord, and the café has been awarded a premises licence. We hope to start the sale of alcohol in the near future. Cheers!
The Company has a fixed cap electricity contract, but we should still be looking to lower our electricity consumption as part of our environmental policy and commitment to using energy and resources efficiently.
Could we ask everyone to keep doing their bit by ensuring that electric heaters are set to timers; equipment which doesn’t need to be on overnight is switched off; use energysaving modes where possible; use natural daylight when possible and remember to turn off lights when you leave.
Skybus welcomed two new First Officers in November.
Joining the company’s team of 23 pilots are Reuben Vulliamy and Jake Hampson – and it’s both men’s first commercial flying job.
Having completed their DHC6 Twin Otter Type rating course at Land’s End Airport Reuben, 27, and Jake, 26, are now undergoing their line training.
“I’ve always wanted to be a pilot,” said Reuben. “I finished my training in 2019 and was due to start with FlyBe when it collapsed in 2020. Then Covid stopped any chance of me getting a pilot job – until now.
“I’m delighted to get my foot in the door at Skybus. I’m looking forward to hands-on flying,
the challenging conditions and experiencing everything.”
Jake has worked in Skybus’s flight operations department since 2016. “I deliberately chose to work here because I wanted to become a pilot,” he explained. “There was never a guaranteed job with Skybus, but it was always my end game.
“My job in flight ops helped me pay for my pilot training. It’s taken seven years of hard work and dedication, and I’m really happy to finally be sitting in the cockpit.
“Flying with Skybus is my dream job. It’s the type of flying I wanted to be doing at this stage of my career – handson flying. I can’t wait to get started.”
Two more First Officers, Dragos Lupu and Henry Miller, have just
joined Skybus in January.
Richard Ashby, Skybus Chief Pilot, said: “It’s wonderful to be able to welcome the new pilots to Skybus and we hope they enjoy their flying careers with us.”
First Officer Debi Peskett had a successful career flying the Boeing 737 all over Europe and America before joining Skybus in 2022.
She said: “Flying the Twin Otter for Skybus is a very different experience to flying larger jets out of busier airports, but it’s an experience I absolutely love. Being part of a small team, getting to know our regular customers, as well as the handson flying, makes an amazing job
even more special.”
Debi started her career in 2005. She worked for bmibaby before becoming a captain with Norwegian out of Gatwick Airport.
But after being made redundant during Covid, she moved to Cornwall to be closer to her husband’s family.
In April 2021 Debi got a job as a Passenger Handling Assistant at Land’s End Airport and in May 2022 she was taken on as a seasonal First Officer, a role which has now been made permanent.
“I’m very happy here at Skybus,” she said. “To be able to continue my flying career and to go home every night to my husband and daughter is absolutely amazing.”
Skybus captains Maarten Van Andel and Joel Bryant have taken on additional new roles as Flight Safety Officers with our airline.
As well as flying our aircraft, Maarten, who has been a Skybus pilot for five years, and Joel, who has been with Skybus for six years, will be helping to maintain the safety of our operations.
“Flying big planes has never appealed to me,” said Maarten. “I always wanted to fly Twin Otters – they are iconic aircraft with an international reputation. It was my main reason for getting a job here.”
Joel added: “It’s wonderful flying both the Islanders and
23 pilots
11 Twin Otter Captains
3 Islander Captains
9 First Officers Summer – 7 crews each day, 1 or 2 Islander pilots and 2 extra on standby
Winter – 2 crews each day, 1 or 2 Islander pilots. Other pilots on leave, in training or on standby
the Twin Otters, the fact that we can fly both makes a nice change.
“The best part of my job is the people I work with – that, and I never get bored of the view, especially at low tide.
“I lived on St Martin’s from the age of seven to 11 as my dad managed the hotel there. Recently a man on one of our flights remembered me as a boy, which was lovely.”
203 return sailings in 2022
7,700 nautical miles travelled 115,226 passengers carried 6,459 dogs carried More than 1,100 tonnes of cargo transported
Scillonian III may be ‘resting up’ for the winter, but it’s by no means a quiet period for her hard-working crew and maintenance team.
Between her last sailing of 2022 on November 5th and her first sailing of 2023 on March 20th, our much-loved ship undergoes a period of maintenance to get her ship shape and ready for the season ahead – when we estimate we’ll welcome on board more than 160,000 passengers.
Every winter, Scillonian III undergoes vital works to ensure she remains in working condition. All the ship’s systems are inspected, serviced and surveyed according to the certificate schedules, which includes onboard fire protection systems and lifesaving equipment.
The propellers were polished and various pieces of steelwork were replaced. The underwater
Further steel repairs have taken place, including plate renewal, replacement of some pipes and extending the lower hold container pedestals.
The new antenna that was trialled at the end of last season will now be permanently mounted on a pedestal within its own dome. This equipment provides increased internet speeds, which is a great asset to support operation of TM Master, the new management system for planned maintenance, stock control and procurement.
areas of the vessel were inspected by the MCA and Lloyds Register. The crew cleaned and inspected the seawater ballast and freshwater tanks and descaled, primed and painted various areas onboard.
Between now and the first sailing in March, Scillonian III will undergo sea trials in Mounts Bay – a key stage for the crew each year.
At the end of her 45th season, Scillonian III entered dry dock on November 9th for just over two weeks. During this time the hull was pressure washed and anti-fouling re-applied, and all life rafts and rescue boats were removed and sent away for servicing. Fall wires on the davits were removed and the davits were prepped and repainted ready to receive new wires before being tested by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
Once Scillonian III was moved back into the wet dock on November 25th, a period of engineering works began, including overhaul of all 16 x cylinder heads for the main engines and overhaul of the port main engine torsional vibration damper.
Old paintwork was removed and reconditioned, and the iconic Scillonian III shield on the bow was given a much-needed lick of paint.
The electric motors for the crane and hatch hydraulic power pack have been overhauled, together with various hydraulic system upgrades.
The ship’s crew need to maintain their qualifications year-round, so they have made the most of the off-season months by using the time to conduct any necessary training and renew qualifications before the sailing season starts.
The annual maintenance is on schedule for completion in early March, ready for her 46th season.
Land’s End Airport held a live emergency exercise on November 12th, simulating an incident involving a Twin Otter and a vehicle.
The three-hour exercise was designed to test the airport’s
emergency response plans, evaluate its preparedness and capabilities, and practice working alongside the emergency services in the event of a real incident.
It is a biennial exercise required
as part of the airport’s Civil Aviation Authority licence.
Local residents were informed about the exercise and advised not to be concerned if they noticed unusual activity at the airport.
Airport Manager Chris Pearson said:
The objective of this training drill was to test our multi-agency response should the worst happen. It gave us an excellent opportunity to work with the emergency services and to practice how we would collectively respond to an incident.
Our experienced
Airport ATC and Fire teams were first the respond to the incident, swiftly followed by the external emergency services. There were multiple “casualties” ranging from major injuries to walking wounded. We nominated our café area as the treatment centre, locked down
the terminal building and advised other “passengers” what was happening.
was a scenario we
emergency situations.
It
hope we would never actually experience, but this exercise demonstrated that we have the plans and procedures in place to handle such
“ I just wanted to drop you a quick email to thank you so very much for having my reception class at the airport today. They had such a marvellous time and did not stop talking about it for the rest of the day. Could you please pass on our thanks to everyone who helped our children enjoy their day – the air traffic control, the fire fighters, check-in staff and to Jake who spent a long time letting the children explore the planes. ”
Our customers are at the heart of everything share some of our recent comments with to all our employees for making these
“
I just wanted to contact you to let you know I had a great trip flying over to the Isles of Scilly the other week on Skybus from Land’s End. I was really well looked after and the flight was very smooth. As you can see in the picture, I was really well prepared for it! Would definitely use Skybus again. ”
“ May I, on behalf of the Armed Forces Community of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly express our gratitude to the whole team at ISSG for your support for the Routes of Remembrance again this year. It’s very much appreciated. ”
“
“ Now that the 2022 season is over I would just like to take this opportunity to thank you and your staff, both in the office, on Scillonian III and on St Mary’s, for all their help and encouragement over this year.
Certainly from our point of view at the RSPB things worked very well despite our frequent personnel swaps and inevitable weather cancellations. Hopefully, your passengers felt they had added value for their money by having us onboard to help them identify the birds and cetaceans.
We regularly got positive feedback from many passengers thanking us for our efforts. Picking out the dolphins was particularly appreciated by many, both young and old.
Hopefully we will be able to do the same in 2023. ”
“ Thank you to Jenny. Having to call around and cancel people’s holiday travel plans due to bad weather is not a nice job but she is professional, happy, factual and does what she can to help get it rearranged. ”
I just wanted to follow up on last week and your email below. The ladies were obviously delighted, and I hope have all been in touch. Personally, I wanted to say we have received the best level of customer service I have experienced in a really long time and this has been down to you looking after the issue from start to finish. I don’t know if you have KPI system or regular staff reviews but just wanted you to have in writing how much I appreciated you helping and resolving. ”
everything we do and we’re delighted to with you here. A big thank you, as always, these comments so commonplace.
“ Wonderful customer service, amazing and friendly staff, very efficient, loved the Scillonian and the crew are wonderful, so friendly with children, very patient and enthusiastic even when being interrogated on bulkheads by my 11-year-old. Wonderful way to arrive in the islands. Our journey was very smooth. Enthusiastic and knowledgeable crew and staff. ”
“ I would like to say how excellent and helpful your staff are. This morning I have had the pleasure of dealing with Jenny and David. Both were extremely helpful and solved my problems, which were more my problems than problems of Isles of Scilly Travel. ”
“ I would like for you to pass on our thanks and gratitude to the St Mary’s staff at the airport that must have been having the most challenging day due to the fog. We were fortunate to be within the bunch of eight passengers that managed to fly to Newquay in the late afternoon on the inbound flight returning from Exeter and bused back to Land’s End. Like most folk there are always one or two who don’t realise when they are well off. Unfortunately, some passengers moaned as the minibus went direct to Land’s End as contracted and would not drop them off en route. Such a ridiculous argument seeing they would have been further delayed if they had travelled on Scillonian III. I tried to dissuade them from objecting but in case they have I wish to ensure you that we are not party to any spurious compliant they may have made and, indeed, on the contrary wish to place on record our gratitude and thanks in the professionalism and kind-hearted approach of all staff and pilot personnel involved that day. Looking forward to flying with you soon. ”
“ Thank you so much for the support you and the team at IOS Travel gave the Five Islands Football Club by giving reduced travel fares for the Plymouth Argyle coaches. The visit was a huge success and 68 local youngsters attended the coaching sessions over the three day period. It’s a real highlight of the school holiday. ”
Thirty years after starting his career as an Air Traffic Controller, Neil Didlick has completed a two-year management apprenticeship.
Neil, Deputy Senior Air Traffic Controller at Land’s End Airport, said it goes to show you are never too old to learn new skills.
“I’m what you might call a mature student having just turned 50,” said Neil. “The course was excellent and has given me valuable experience that I otherwise wouldn’t have had.
“I learned a lot, but an important part for me was meeting and mixing with people on the course with such diverse backgrounds and job roles. Seeing their challenges and how they overcame them – or didn’t – has helped me grow as a team leader.”
Neil began the qualification, a level three apprenticeship at Truro and Penwith College, in 2020, just as the pandemic took hold.
With the support of the Steamship Company, he carried out the work alongside his normal duties at the airport, where he has worked since 2014.
“Balancing the course and my job was easier during Covid and the winter months, but as soon as the airport movements picked up it became increasingly difficult,” explained Neil. “Chris Pearson was incredibly supportive, but it was inevitable that there would be times when one or the other had to take a back seat.
“My role at the airport is safety critical so the course always came second. I’m a problem solver by nature, so it just meant being creative and putting in some very hard work when needed.”
Neil has been an Air Traffic Controller for 30 years and previously worked on the Isles of Scilly. He said: “I always enjoyed the challenge of the ATC environment and made the decision early on that I needed to make a healthy work/life balance, so I stayed away from big airports and cities.
“I moved from the islands in 2014 to work at Land’s End for a slightly different challenge. I was promoted to Chris’s deputy and now I have more input into the management side of things.
“Air Traffic Control is a team sport, so the entire course was relevant to my job. Being involved with all the different departments and personalities at the airport has its challenges, and the course content and experience of the tutors has helped to equip me with some of the tools needed to help things run smoothly, not just in a leadership role but also as part of the wider team.”
Congratulations Jack!
Jack Glasson, 38, who has served as a Chief Officer on Gry Maritha for the past 18 months, has been promoted to Master.
Following a competitive recruitment process, Jack replaced Jon Rundle, who left the company to further his career at Fowey Harbour.
Jack, who lives in Truro, joined the Steamship Group in September 2021 after a varied career deep sea on a variety of cargo ships and the military.
Jack said: “I’m extremely proud to become Master of the Gry and take on this brilliant job. Being on the Gry is fantastic.”
“We’re a close-knit team – it’s a bit like a family on board – and I really enjoy that part of the job.
“After nearly 25 years on deep sea commercial ships, to be able to come back to Cornwall and work on the Gry is a dream come true.
“I’m looking forward to continuing to provide the lifeline link and being part of the island community.”
We are pleased to announce Delwin Thompson as the new operator of the St Mary’s Airport shuttle service.
The new service is called Island Transfers and saw the introduction of four new minibuses –one of which is electric – with plans for an allelectric minibus service in the future.
Island Transfers was appointed following a short tendering process, after Paulger’s Passenger Transport Ltd announced it was to cease operating.
Stuart Reid, Chief Executive of the Steamship Group, said: “The St Mary’s Airport shuttle service is an integral part of the transport network for both Skybus and Scillonian III passengers, so this is fantastic news for the tens of thousands of passengers who rely on it each year.
“Our focus is to deliver an exceptional customer experience for our passengers and we are excited to be working with Delwin who shares this commitment.
“Our company was formed more than 100 years ago by islanders, therefore it is vital that the ethos of maintaining the lifeline service in the most environmentally supportive way possible is continued.
“We would like to take this opportunity to once again thank Luke Paulger and his team for the many years of dedicated service they have provided and wish them well for the future.”
Bookings are being taken by calling 01720 422126.
2022 was another exciting year for wildlife spots – with a huge fin whale and the “bird of the century” both sighted in and around Scilly.
Wildlife remains a top priority for visitors to the islands, so we were delighted when the Scillonian III crossing was named the UK’s highest diversity ferry route for wildlife spotting by charity ORCA earlier in 2022.
ORCA, which is dedicated to studying and protecting whales, dolphins and porpoises in UK waters, completed another year of vital cetacean monitoring surveys on board Scillonian III.
The highlight of the season was a fin whale – the second largest animal on the planet at 27m long – during a survey in June. It was one of seven whales spotted in 2022 by the charity’s volunteers from the decks of Scillonian III – incredible when you think there were only 13
surveys in 2022.
Between March and October there were a total of 95 sightings, totalling an impressive 366 animals.
The most common sighting was of common dolphins, with 299 animals spotted. Six species of cetacean were spotted, along with grey seals, sunfish and a basking shark.
Lucy Babey, ORCA’s Head of Science and Conservation, said: “We’ve had an incredible survey season in 2022. We’d like to thank the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company once again for its support in enabling us to carry out our vital monitoring work, so that we can help to protect these incredible animals for the future.”
Also on Scillonian III, marine wildlife conservation charity MARINElife had a busy first year of seabird surveys with a total of 7,758 birds spotted on five crossings.
There were 25 different species recorded including an Arctic Skua, a Storm Petrel and a Velvet Scoter.
MARINElife’s Research Director
Professor Tom Brereton said: “We are delighted to have started recording seabirds on this route, given the high diversity of species present. This will become the first ferry route in England where gold standard seabird recording by volunteers is being carried, so will be an important step forward in our understanding of seabird distributions and trends over time – data that is vital to science and future conservation efforts.”
In October 2022, a Blackburnian warbler (described as the ‘bird of the century’ by many of Britain’s top ornithologists) was found on Bryher by visiting birder John Judge. John has been visiting the Isles of Scilly every October for decades - his years of loyalty suddenly paying off.
It’s hard to overestimate the frenzy this sighting caused in the birding world. Hundreds of birders of all ages dropped everything to travel to Bryher, hoping to catch a glimpse of this tiny black and yellow bird, some travelling the length of the UK.
It was the first time one had been seen in England, and the first ‘twitchable’ one of its kind in the UK. Social media went crazy, and it made the news around the world.
Sightings of rare birds attract short notice visits from birders around the UK, with recent highlights including the Egyptian Vulture (2021), the belted kingfisher (2018) and a myrtle warbler just a few weeks ago.
St Mary’s Boatmen’s Association were delighted with the 250 people who descended on Bryher within the first six hours, and the next two weeks were
monumental for UK twitchers.
Within days, birders from Scotland, East Anglia, Northumberland and even Shetland made their way to Scilly to see the bird. One person travelled from the most northerly point of Unst, one of the Shetland Isles, making their way across the full length of the UK - and back again - to see it.
Estimates predict that well over 1,000 people saw the Blackburnian Warbler. Allowing for people with birding holidays already booked on the islands, plus residents and those already staying, there could have been as many as 500 additional people visiting Scilly over those two weeks, maybe more.
Most of those will have used Skybus or Scillonian III to travel to the islands, as well as making use of local boat operators, visiting local eateries and several staying overnight, too.
Continued support
We are once again supporting the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust’s Festival of Nature events in 2023 with a 10% discount on travel.
Creative Scilly and Festival of Nature takes place from May 12th to 20th 2023 and the autumn Festival of Nature is from October 13th to 15th 2023.
In addition to this, we host two wildlife volunteers on board Scillonian III from April to May and June to October.
We are extremely proud to say we have helped to raise a massive £94,752.60 over the past four years for the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust and The Island Haven, two charities close to the hearts of all at the Steamship Group.
We have now donated a total of £81,604.60 to the Wildlife Trust and £13,148 to The Island Haven, with £29,463 raised in 2022 alone.
Since 2019, our generous customers have been able to help the Wildlife Trust’s fundraising efforts by making a voluntary donation when booking travel through our website.
Julian Branscombe, from the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust, said: “Nowhere is more special than Scilly, as all our visitors know.
At Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust, we’re always doing our utmost to keep Scilly special. Support from Steamship Company customers is vital to us in carefully managing huge areas of our coast and wetlands for rare species and unusual habitats, making sure our many archaeological sites are looked after, and keeping over 50 miles of paths open for everyone to enjoy. We’d like to offer our deepest thanks to every traveller who supports our crucial work in this way.”
The Wildlife Trust’s priorities for 2023 include a breeding seabird survey of every island, which will be an enormous undertaking for the charity; experimenting with grazing goats where the battle is being lost with non-native
invasive evergreen bushes, which are swamping native wildflowers; and monitoring rare species including the Dwarf Pansy and Red-Barbed Ant.
Julian added: “We do such a wide range of work around our 700 hectares of land, and we couldn’t keep going at the same scale without the wonderful support of Skybus and Scillonian passengers.”
We introduced the same method of support for The Island Haven, a charity aiming to provide a place to stay on the mainland for islanders undergoing medical treatment, in October 2021.
The Island Haven will provide a “home from home” near the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro for the
use of islanders and visitors to Scilly when they need it most.
They may need a place to stay during prolonged outpatient treatment, or their family, friends or carer may need a place to stay to accompany their loved ones.
Patricia Matthews, a trustee of The Island Haven, said: “Firstly, I must thank the Steamship Group for providing the much-needed mechanism we need to enable our donors to support us. It has been a catalyst for The Island Haven and we could not have achieved our current financial status without it.
“We are truly grateful and take this opportunity to thank ALL who donate to our cause. Your support is vital and makes a
massive difference to our target, which sadly has had to increase due to building material costs and is now at £1.25 million. We have almost reached £250,000.
“There are challenging times ahead, after two years of Covid restrictions. I would like to mention that all trustees and fund raisers are volunteers, with no paid employees to provide expertise. If you think you can help, please be in touch via social media or the website. We would love to hear from you.
“It is so motivating to receive your support and thank you for helping us in our steps towards our goal. Please remember, if the Isles of Scilly are YOUR haven, please help us build OURS. Once built, it
could be a place to stay in time of need for you.”
Stuart Reid, Chief Executive of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company, said: “We are so very proud to have reached these significant milestones. It just goes to show how closely our customers hold the Isles of Scilly to their hearts, and we thank them for their generosity, which will mean so much to so many.”
The Steamship Company gives back around £1 million per year to the local community, supporting a huge range of groups, good causes, sporting events, subsidised travel for island residents, medical flights and offisland freight.
Land’s End Airport’s first female firefighter, Rosie Tonkin, joined the Company in June 2021.
Rosie, 23, became a retained firefighter at Penzance Fire Station at the age of 19 after failing a medical test for the military.
She said: “I studied Public Services at college and I really wanted to join the military, but I couldn’t because I had a history of epilepsy
and seizures.
“So, my best friend’s dad encouraged me to join the fire service, which was the best decision I’ve ever made. It’s matured me a lot. I’m still a retained firefighter at Penzance, which is unsocial hours but I love it. I’ve committed a lot of my life to my career.
“Aviation firefighting is a totally different ballgame to domestic firefighting. It’s fascinating, there is so much going on here at the airport – different equipment, different vehicles, dozens of
different jobs and learning about aircraft.
“In the summer it is so busy. We have so many different roles and responsibilities, it’s a lot to take on board and can be a lot of pressure.
“The crew here are like family. We’ve got such a strong relationship and really look after each other. That’s what appeals to me most about being a firefighter.
“I’m at a point in my life where I would never change my career now, not even if I could go back and join the military.”