Merchant Navy Day was established by the Government in 2000 and is celebrated on 3rd September, the anniversary of the start of the Second World War. The day not only honours the courage and sacrifices of UK Merchant Navy seafarers during the wars but also celebrates the vital role that today’s mariners play in our…
As 2023 comes to an end let’s have a look at the season that has just gone by. It has been a busy 12 months welcoming and transporting almost 120,000 passengers and 7,000 dogs to the Isles of Scilly across our Scillonian III and Skybus services. We have loved helping visitors and their four-legged…
Our Passenger Relations Team is the beating heart of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company, with a busy team straddled between Penzance and St Mary’s. The team is made up of 13 people – nine in Penzance and four in St Mary’s. There are eight working in what used to known as the travel centre,…
Earlier this year we welcomed two new Skybus pilots and both are in agreement that it’s the “best job you could possibly imagine”. Dragos Lupu and Harry Miller joined Skybus as First Officers, taking the total number of Skybus pilots to 23. Romanian-born Dragos, 33, had a career as a skydiving instructor before he trained…
When was the last time you visited Western Rocks Café at Land’s End Airport? It’s had a makeover – and a total menu overhaul – and we think it’s better than ever. The café, which has incredible views, now has a growing reputation among locals as well as from people flying from the airport. This…
Gry Maritha’s stalwart crew have added another string to their bow – being trained as marine mammal surveyors for charity ORCA. The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company has a long history of working with ORCA, with marine mammal surveyors conducting surveys for whales, dolphins and porpoises on board Scillonian III since 2009. But…
The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group is proud to have a strong female workforce – in fact, 28% of our staff are female, including ship and airline captains, firefighters and senior managers. As a company, we are committed to championing women, encouraging and inspiring them with their careers both now and in the future. We…
Our trusty inter-island freight ship Lyonesse Lady has been helping to bring Christmas to the Isles of Scilly’s off-islands for more than 30 years. Whether it’s Christmas trees, gifts or the all-important Christmas dinner ingredients, the Lyonesse’s crew of two will be busy making sure the islanders have everything they need to celebrate. What Gry…
Training and investing in future employees is extremely important to us at the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group. We currently sponsor four Merchant Navy cadets – two deck cadets and two engineering cadets – who are managed by a training partnership with Clyde Marine Training. The cadetships are a three-year programme, which is funded by…
Scillonian III may be ‘resting up’ for the winter, but it’s by no means a quiet period for her crew and maintenance team. Between her last sailing of the year in November and her first sailing in March, our much-loved ship undergoes a period of maintenance to get her ‘ship shape’ ready for the next…
Land’s End Airport’s Fire Service – at the heart of airport life Our fire and rescue service plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety of Land’s End Airport. But as well as firefighting, the airport’s dedicated firefighters have a list of more than 200 different jobs to their name. “Our primary role is as…
Behind-the-scenes with Air Traffic Control at Land’s End Airport Air Traffic Control seems like a baffling place to many – but in reality it’s an exciting and dynamic environment where quick-thinking and multi-tasking are an essential part of the job. It is a highly-regulated and safety critical role, where every aircraft – sometimes more than…
In a field currently dominated by men, we believe it is important to encourage and inspire women to pursue a career in aviation. In 2021 it was estimated that less than 5% of pilots in the UK were female. At the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group, we have 23 Skybus pilots made up of four…
Our own freight haulage company, Island Carriers, is based in the heart of St Mary’s. We’ve been behind-the-scenes with the busy team of 10, which looks after all the islanders’ freight needs. Passionate is the most accurate word to describe Island Carriers Operations Manager Jeanette Ware – she cares deeply about the community she serves.…
16th December 2021 Update: A special thank you from Newlyn School Following on from their visit to Land’s End Airport, the staff and pupils of Newlyn School surprised the Skybus team with a special delivery of hand written notes and fantastic drawings to thank the staff for having them and their behind-the-scenes tour. It looks…
We are proud to be involved in the local community and with local charities. Currently we support a range of groups, good causes, sporting events, subsidised travel for island residents, medical flights and off-island freight. We are delighted to support, The Island Haven, a charity aiming to provide a place to stay on the mainland…
Safety is the number one priority of Engineering Manager Mick Yould and his team of nine – including engineers, aircraft fitters, two stores’ supervisors and one technical records supervisor. The busy department is responsible for the maintenance, safety, and airworthiness of Skybus’s fleet of four Twin Otters and three Islanders. Mick, who has been with…
The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company is marking the 40th birthday of its faithful freight ship Gry Maritha this month. The Gry, named after the daughter of the first captain, was built in Norway and christened in June 1981. She was purchased by the Steamship Company in 1989 in order to further support the islanders…
Marcia Still is a well-known face for many of our regular and returning passengers sailing to the Isles of Scilly on Scillonian III after working on the ferry during the last four decades. Marcia, who first joined the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group in 1980 as a stewardess, is stepping down from her job as…
This is Engineering at the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group From Marine Engineers to Aircraft Engineers, we have a team of skilled Engineers across the company servicing, repairing and maintaining, to ensure we provide a safe and reliable service for our customers. Here are just a few snippets from across the company celebrating Engineering Day.…
There are many people who have made the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group what it is today and as part of our 100-year anniversary we’ve reflected on some of those figures. In our next series, we look back to the early days of our first ship ‘Penninis’ and at the life of loyal crew member…
Sue Lewington is producing a special illustrated book to celebrate our 100 year anniversary. The book is now available to purchase through our Travel Centre. Please find our contact details and opening hours below. Contact us to order Sue Lewington is a freelance illustrator living in west Cornwall, who specialises in ink and watercolour…
In our latest behind the scenes series, we’ve caught up with Master Peter Crawford to find out about life aboard Scillonian in the winter months. Hi Pete, thanks for meeting with us, now Scillonian’s not sailing what does a ‘normal’ day look like for you? “There’s no such thing as a normal day! But the…
Amongst the chatter and tapping keyboards of Steamship House, you’ll find our dedicated customer service team responding and helping our customers with enquiries, complaints and compliments. Our team of three work tirelessly responding to our customers ensuring everyone who has taken the time to email, write or call are happy with the help and responses…
Have you ever wondered what a typical day looks like on the front line at Land’s End Airport? We’ve caught up with Charlie Watson … What’s your favourite thing about working at Land’s End Airport? I like the people I work with, and the whole day-to-day routine of the Airport. It still fascinates me, seeing…
What does a typical day on the front line of customer service look like? We sat down with Jacky King, who handles passenger services on Penzance Quay, to find out… When do you have to get up, to get to work on time? I’m really lucky as it’s only a 10-minute walk – or 20…
As part of our behind the scenes series, we thought we’d introduce Mickey Murley, a key member of staff in the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group. Mickey works at Penzance Dry Dock, maintaining the groups ships, Scillonian III, Mali Rose, Gry Maritha, Swift Lady and Lyonesse Lady, amongst many other projects at the Dry Dock.…
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