A national nautical charity was aboard a brick ship, but are hoping to plot a steady course ahead in the North of England.
The Maritime Volunteer Service (MVS) has just been re-recognised by the Royal Navy. The Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Jonathan Woodcock OBE has recently updated the Royal Navy’s recognition of the MVS by issuing a new Defence Instruction and Notice. This reiterates a previous notice from the early days of the MVS back in 1998.
The MVS National Vice Chair Chris Todd met with Commodore Gary Doyle RN Regional Commander for Northern England and The Isle of Man to reinforce the ties between the RN and the MVS in the North of England on board HMS Eaglet in Liverpool
Commodore Dolye said “One of my tasks is reinforcing the spirit of the Royal Navy throughout the North of England and the Isle of Man. We, along with our Merchant Navy colleagues with whom our history and traditions are so closely entwined, are organisations which deliver such an important contribution to the security and prosperity of our island nation; we support our colleagues from the MVS in their mission to change lives by training people and offering community support”
The MVS has over 30 Units spread around the UK, including inland waters units. Locally, The MVS Port of Manchester Unit meets at TS Ilex (Salford Sea Cadets) based in The Old Boatyard, Off Worsley Rd, Worsley, Salford, M28 2WN every Tuesday and are looking to revitalise their Unit on the Mersey.
Chris summed up “As a uniformed organisation, the MVS have a real part to play in the community. We have a proud history, formed from the ashes of the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service with a training programme second to none,” he said.“It is wonderful to get positive recognition from the Royal Navy and we are already looking forward to operating a full training programme in 2016. I’d recommend any one who is interested in boats and maritime activities to visit us; you don’t need any previous experience as our training programme takes all abilities into account”