I was honoured to attend the Secretary of State’s Garden Party at Hillsborough Castle 
It was a further privilege to be personally presented by our Lord-Lieutenant of Co Londonderry to HRH the Princess Royal for my voluntary roles within sea2it, Coleraine Harbour Commissioners and the UK governments Coleraine future town fund.
She asked about my voluntary service with sea2it and I explained how we are using the negative of marine plastic littering to achieve a positive community uplift through volunteering and training.
We also spoke about the Wetwheels Foundation which she is the patron of and sea2it’s continued project in basing an accessible Wetwheel’s boat in NI once suitable onshore facilities can be put in place.
We also had a laugh when I reminded her we’d all met before in a slightly less regal location- in a queue in the Spar shop in Port Ellen on Islay!
Through sea2it I extended an invite to both SoS Hilary Benn and Minister Gordon Lyons MLA to hear about our plan to deliver an accessible Wetwheels boat for Northern Ireland.
We also shared a cuppa tea with Minister Andrew Muir MLA to discuss the positive impact Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs has had assisting environmental projects we’re involved with from Litter, water quality, rural development and Globally endangered fish satellite tagging.
A truly memorable occasion celebrating our community volunteers.
