News
Immerse School of Diving Announce the 2016 Georgia Williams Diving Scholarship
The Georgia Williams Trust and Immerse School of Diving have announced the opening of applications for the 2016 Georgia Williams Diving Scholarship.
Georgia Williams lived life with an adventurous, outgoing attitude. She loved being outdoors and being active. Number three on Georgia’s wish list in life was to go scuba diving. The Georgia Williams Trust formed in Georgia’s memory aims to enable young people to participate in life-building adventurous and outdoor activities, and to contribute to the local community.
The Georgia Williams Diving Scholarship presents an opportunity for one young person to pursue an interest in the underwater World, and in turn to enable other young people to have access to scuba diving activities in Telford & Wrekin, a borough in the West Midlands region of England.
The annual Scholarship is jointly funded by The Georgia Williams Trust and Immerse School of Diving. The Scholarship is sponsored by dry suit manufacturer Otter Watersports and television presenter and adventurer Monty Halls.
Last year saw Tom Edwards of Wrekin College become the 2015 Georgia Williams Diving Scholar. Runners up Alix Tomlinson of Crudgington Primary School received funding to complete her PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver qualification with Immerse School of Diving and therefore also became a fully qualified diver; and, as a previously qualified diver, George Ellison of Thomas Telford School received a full set of scuba diving equipment to help further his passion for diving.
“Immerse School of Diving and The Georgia Williams Trust have given me the opportunity of making new friends. They’ve allowed me to follow my passion for scuba diving. And finally they have given me a set of life skills to allow me to develop a career in my dream of scuba diving. Thank you!”, said Tom Edwards, the 2015 Georgia Williams Diving Scholar.
The Georgia Williams Diving Scholar learns to become a qualified scuba diver, and then continues training with Immerse School of Diving throughout the Scholarship year to attain the PADI (Junior) Master Scuba Diver rating – the highest non-professional PADI scuba diving qualification.
As part of the Scholarship, the Scholar is able to attend the Club Immerse weekly pool sessions to develop their diving skills and experience, and has the opportunity to complete at least fifty scuba dives over the course of the year with Immerse School of Diving.
In addition, the Scholar is given a range of additional scuba experiences, which differ depending on the opportunities presented during the Scholarship year and the Scholar’s personal interests. The Scholar is also able to meet some of the leading names within the scuba diving industry.
At the end of the Scholarship, the Scholar has all the qualifications and experience required to commence training to become a PADI professional diver when they turn eighteen, opening up the opportunity to pursue a career in the scuba diving industry.
The Georgia Williams Diving Scholar also takes an ambassadorial role for The Georgia Williams Trust. There is an expectation that the Scholar will raise awareness of the Trust and the Scholarship during the year, promoting the aims of the Trust and helping to make scuba diving more accessible for young people in the borough of Telford & Wrekin. The Scholar is expected to lead fundraising activities to raise a minimum of £250 for the Trust either before or during the course of the Scholarship year. Tom even completed a 400 foot bungee jump to help in his fundraising activities under the programme this year.
Applications are now open at www.immersediving.com/the-georgia-williams-youth-diving-programme and close at midnight on 31 May 2016. Anyone between the ages of eleven and eighteen years at the time of application, and who either lives or goes to school or college in the borough of Telford & Wrekin, can apply for the Scholarship. There is no means testing of applicants.
Shortlisted applicants will be asked to attend a selection evening in June where they will have the opportunity to complete a try dive with Immerse School of Diving, prior to final selection of this year’s Scholar. The Georgia Williams Diving Scholar will be selected from all applicants by a panel consisting of representatives from The Georgia Williams Trust and Immerse School of Diving, with the aims of the Trust in mind, and will be announced at a presentation evening in late June.
“The Georgia Williams Diving Scholarship is a very special opportunity for young people within the borough of Telford & Wrekin. For the right young person with the motivation and commitment to fully engage in the Scholarship and to achieve its aims, the Scholarship opens up a whole new underwater World and a year jam packed full of new experiences. We are looking for someone with Georgia’s spirit of adventure, and the ambition to break the mould and achieve something incredible,” said Tony Flack, Owner and Instructor at Immerse School of Diving.
For further information visit www.immersediving.com/the-georgia-williams-youth-diving-programme or contact Immerse School of Diving at info@immersediving.com.
The Ocean Cleanup, the global non-profit project, has removed a verified all-time total of ten million kilograms (22 million lbs.) of trash from oceans and rivers around the world – approximately the same weight as the Eiffel Tower.
To complete its mission of ridding the oceans of plastic, The Ocean Cleanup uses a dual strategy: cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) to remove the plastic already afloat in the oceans, while stopping the flow of plastic from the world’s most polluting rivers.
Through cleaning operations in the GPGP and in rivers in eight countries, the cumulative total of trash removed has now surpassed ten million kilograms. This milestone demonstrates the acceleration of The Ocean Cleanup’s impact, while underlining the astonishing scale of the plastic pollution problem and the need for continued support and action.
While encouraging for the mission, this milestone is only a staging point: millions more tons of plastic still pollute our oceans and The Ocean Cleanup intends to continue learning, improving and innovating to solve this global catastrophe.
This announcement comes as governments from around the world meet to continue negotiations to develop a new legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution at INC4 in Ottawa, Canada. Representatives of The Ocean Cleanup will be in attendance and the organization will be urging decision-makers to collaborate towards a comprehensive and ambitious global treaty which addresses plastic at all stages of its life cycle and in all marine environments worldwide, including in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
It is encouraging to see that the need for remediation is reflected in the various options for potential treaty provisions. It is essential that the final treaty contains clear targets for the remediation of legacy plastic pollution, and reduction of riverine plastic emissions.
Tackling plastic pollution requires innovative and impactful solutions. The treaty should therefore incentivize the innovation ecosystem by fostering innovations that make maximal use of data, technology and scientific knowledge – such as those designed and deployed by The Ocean Cleanup.
‘After many tough years of trial and error, it’s amazing to see our work is starting to pay off – and I am proud of the team who has brought us to this point.’ said Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup. ‘While we still have a long way to go, our recent successes fill us with renewed confidence that the oceans can be cleaned.’
The Ocean Cleanup was founded in 2013 and captured its first plastic in 2019, with the first confirmed catch in the GPGP coming soon after the deployment of Interceptor 001 in Jakarta, Indonesia. After surpassing one million kilograms of trash removed in early 2022, the non-profit project has since progressed to the third iteration of its GPGP cleaning solution, known as System 03, and a network of Interceptors currently covering rivers in eight countries, with more deployments set for 2024.
About The Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup is an international non-profit organization that develops and scales technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. They aim to achieve this goal through a dual strategy: stemming the inflow via rivers and cleaning up the legacy plastic that has already accumulated in the ocean. For the latter, The Ocean Cleanup develops large-scale systems to efficiently concentrate the plastic for periodic removal. This plastic is tracked and traced through DNV’s chain of custody model to certify claims of origin when recycling it into new products. To curb the tide via rivers, The Ocean Cleanup has developed Interceptor™ solutions to halt and extract riverine plastic before it reaches the ocean. Founded in 2013 by Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup now employs a broadly multi-disciplined team of approximately 140. The foundation is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
For more information, visit: theoceancleanup.com and follow @theoceancleanup on social media.
Marine Life & Conservation
Steve Backshall to headline Shark Trust’s flagship event: For the Love of Sharks
Join a host of amazing, shark loving, speakers including Steve Backshall and the Shark Trust team for an evening celebrating shark conservation at the Royal Geographical Society in London this November.
Date: 29th November 2024
Time: 6-10pm
Location: Royal Geographical Society, London
Tickets: https://www.sharktrust.org/Event/flos24
The event will be a celebration of all things shark. Those lucky enough to get hold of tickets will hear from engaging guest speakers with a passion for sharks.
The line-up includes (*subject to change if unforeseen circumstances arise)
Steve Backshall: One of television’s busiest presenters, BAFTA award-winning wildlife expert Steve has been passionate about the wild world ever since he was young.
Steve’s impressive TV career has taken him all around the world, investigating a wide array of species and environments. Steve has filmed over 100 hours of children’s wildlife programmes with the BAFTA award winning Deadly 60 franchise and recently, with Sky Nature, for his new series ‘Whale with Steve Backshall’. He has been a patron for the Shark Trust for 10 years.
Simon Rogerson: is a photojournalist specialising in natural history, diving and the sea.
He is editor of SCUBA magazine, the official journal of the British Sub-Aqua Club. Simon started his career as a crime reporter but gravitated towards his ‘less depressing’ interest in underwater exploration, joining the staff of DIVE magazine in 1999. In 2005 he was named ‘Editor of the Year’ in the PPA’s Independent Publishing Awards. Simon also works as a freelance writer, contributing frequently to the Sunday Times and Telegraph, in addition to BBC Wildlife, Esquire, and a host of international diving magazines. He is the author of a book, Dive Red Sea, published by Ultimate Sports. Now based in Berkshire, Simon has been a Patron of the Shark Trust for 20 years.
More speakers to be announced soon. Head to the Shark Trust website to learn more.
The evening will also allow guests the final chance to see the Oceanic 31, shark art exhibition. Some of the artwork will be auctioned/raffled at the event, while the rest will be auctioned online to raise money for the Shark Trust Oceanic Programme.
For the Love of Sharks is an evening with something for everyone who is interested and fascinated by sharks. Join the Shark Trust, their Patrons, Trustees and Staff, along with a host of supporters for this celebration of shark conservation.
For more information or to buy a ticket: https://www.sharktrust.org/Event/flos24
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