Friends for Sharks is a marine conservation cause working to support charities and increase worldwide awareness of the plight of sharks
Mission Statement
Here at Friends for Sharks we will:
- Use our voices to promote marine conservation and increase worldwide awareness of the threats to sharks and rays
- Educate and encourage people to become Friends for Sharks themselves and protect the oceans around them
- Inspire people to be the change they want to see in the world
- Reach audiences worldwide, including people of all ages and social backgrounds
- Raise money for nominated charities
- Conduct voluntary work across the globe to contribute to the local communities we visit
Who are Friends for Sharks?
Kathryn has a lifetime love of sharks, the oceans and marine conservation. She has a Masters in Environmental Biology and is a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor. Kathryn created a successful career within environmental enforcement in England and then as a scuba diving instructor in Egypt and Great White Shark wildlife guide in South Africa. Kathryn’s passions are sharing her knowledge and experiences of wildlife and travel with people, educating others on the importance of sharks for the health of the oceans and inspiring others to become the change they wish to see in the world. Kathryn is co-founder of the marine conservation cause Friends for Sharks, inspirational indie writer/blogger and author of the inspirational memoir No Damage (Available on Amazon).
Nicholas has always intended to work under the oceans and become a voice for marine conservation. He has a graduate degree in Marine Biology & Oceanography and is an experienced PADI scuba diving instructor. He lived and worked in Egypt as an instructor and dive guide until 2014, when he then moved to work in South Africa with Kathryn. His passions are educating others about marine life and sharing with them the beauty of the oceans, from the smallest critters to the larger well known species. He likes nothing more than teaching people of all ages to scuba dive and is a keen photographer and videographer. Nicholas is co-founder of the marine conservation cause Friends for Sharks.
Together they created Friends for Sharks, which came into existence after an unexpected and serious back injury brought their marine career plans to a halt in August 2014. Whilst recovering, they decided to focus on finding a new way to use their passion and skills for positive change worldwide.
World Tour 2015
Friends for Sharks are undertaking a world tour for 2015, during which we will visit a number of countries and give educational and inspiring talks about our experiences and work with sharks, the threats they face and marine conservation issues. We are providing events for audiences in each country such as aquariums, schools, conservation organisations, scuba diving centres, universities and community groups. During our tour we are raising money for our two nominated charities.
We are paying for our international travel throughout the tour and are offering our events free of charge. We will be working very hard during this tour to provide fun, educational events for all age groups and aim to inspire as many people as possible through our work. We are fundraising and seeking business sponsorship to help us cover our essential tour costs such as food, educational material production and local transport. This allows us to reach our audiences and voluntary work destinations and raise more money for our charities.
Nominated Charities
The Shark Trust is a UK registered charity working to advance the worldwide conservation of sharks through science, education, influence and action. They are an effective and well respected advocate for shark management and protection, undertaking a range of projects, campaigns and policy work.
Project AWARE is a global movement of scuba divers protecting the ocean planet – one dive at a time. They support divers acting in their own communities to protect oceans and implement lasting change and they focus on two major ocean issues –Sharks in Peril and Marine Debris, or trash in our oceans.
England
Canada
Cook Islands
New Zealand
Australia
Fiji
Cambodia
Thailand
Destinations
Friends for Sharks is focussing on visiting a small number of hand-picked destinations, where we believe we can make a difference and become involved in the local communities. We have chosen to travel within these countries rather than visit a large number of countries, which would increase our mileage/travel costs with little additional gain. We departed from London mid-February 2015 and will return during December 2015.
Donations & Sponsorship
The support of others is needed for the world tour to succeed and for us to raise money for our charities. Any sponsorship received will be used to fund essential tour costs. This is not for profit and, if all costs are met, 100% of any further money received will go directly to the nominated charities. Kathryn and Nicholas are paying for all international travel costs themselves and are offering the Friends for Sharks events free of charge.
If you would like to donate to us, we are gratefully accepting donations here.
If you are interested in becoming an official sponsor of Friends for Sharks please contact us. We have a variety of sponsorship packages available for all budgets and are keen to support others’ businesses and endeavours as we travel.
Learn more: www.friendsforsharks.com
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Email: info@friendsforsharks.com