Finding My People Through Marine Conservation

If you'd told me a few years ago that I'd end up leading a communications team for a marine conservation charity, I'd have laughed.

Not because I don't care about the ocean. Quite the opposite. Anyone who knows me knows that being Cornish makes up approximately 87% of my personality. I won't apologise for that. Cornwall is my home, its coastline is part of who I am, and protecting it matters deeply to me.

What would have surprised me is the conservation bit.

I don't come from a scientific background. In fact, anything science-related has a habit of sailing straight over my head. I was the person at school who looked at a chemistry equation and immediately decided that wasn't going to be my thing.

What I do understand is communication.

I joined Falmouth Marine Conservation in March 2023, shortly after finishing university and starting my career in communications within the social impact investment sector. Nobody is particularly interested in hearing about my degree or my day job, and that's fair enough. But what those experiences did give me was the confidence to realise that you don't need to be a marine biologist to contribute to marine conservation.

You just need skills that can help a cause you care about.

Because conservation doesn't happen in isolation. Scientific research is incredibly important, but if nobody understands it, engages with it, or feels inspired by it, its impact can only go so far.

That's where communication comes in.

When I joined FMC, I volunteered to help with social media. At the time, there were around 1,500 followers on Instagram and another volunteer helping to manage the account.

Then they left.

I try not to take that personally.

Suddenly I found myself responsible for the account and figuring out where to take it next. Looking back, that turned out to be one of the best things that could have happened.

It gave me the opportunity to bring someone new into the team.

Enter Ellie.

Ellie quickly became my deputy, partner-in-crime and one of my closest friends. Unlike me, she actually understands science. She has a master's degree in something incredibly impressive, although if I'm being honest, I couldn't tell you the exact title. I think her dissertation involved plastics and seabirds. Or seagulls. Or perhaps plastic seagulls.

Either way, she knows what she's talking about.

Together we accidentally stumbled upon a pretty effective partnership. Ellie brought scientific expertise and credibility. I brought communications experience and an ability to translate complex topics into something people might actually read on Instagram while waiting for their coffee.

The content got stronger. Engagement grew. More people started interacting with our posts.

But we also realised something.

If FMC was going to reach its potential, two volunteers weren't enough.

So we decided to grow.

What started as a duo gradually became a team.

Over the following years, we welcomed TikTok Coordinators Emillie, Zoe and George, who built FMC's TikTok presence from the ground up.

We brought in brilliant blog writers Olivia, Eloise and Hannah, each sharing their own passions, interests and perspectives on conservation.

Leah and Lexie joined us to support graphic design and illustration, transforming the look and feel of our content and making everything more professional, creative and engaging.

This summer we'll also be joined by Sho, our Summer Photographer, who will be capturing stunning images of Falmouth's coastline, beaches and marine life. Her photography will help bring our communications to life, giving us even more opportunities to showcase Cornwall's incredible marine environment through visual storytelling.

Most recently Charlie joined as a Social Media Coordinator, bringing experience from his own hugely successful personal social channels and helping us continue to expand our reach.

Somewhere along the way, the girl who'd been unexpectedly left in charge of an Instagram account found herself leading a communications team of eleven people.

And honestly, that's still a bit surreal.

Every single person who has joined the team is talented, creative, passionate and genuinely committed to making a difference.

In a world that can often feel full of bad news, doom-scrolling and reasons to lose hope, I've somehow managed to surround myself with people who care. People who willingly give their time and energy to protect something bigger than themselves.

That has brought an enormous amount of joy to my life.

The truth is, I often feel like everyone on the team is more impressive than I am. The imposter syndrome is very real.

But leadership isn't about being the smartest person in the room. Thank goodness for that.

It's about creating opportunities for people to contribute their talents. It's about bringing together people with different skills and perspectives. It's about building something that becomes bigger than any one individual.

It's about community.

And community feels increasingly important.

There's a narrative that communities are disappearing, that people are more disconnected than ever, and that nobody cares anymore. My experience with FMC has shown me the exact opposite.

Good people are everywhere.

People care deeply.

People want to help.

People want to make a difference.

Sometimes they just need an opportunity.

So what's the point of this rambling blog?

It's this: marine conservation is important, but the greatest thing FMC has given me hasn't been social media experience, leadership skills or even a deeper understanding of the marine environment.

It's been people.

It's shown me that communities can still be built. That friendships can grow from shared purpose. That ordinary people with wildly different backgrounds can come together to create something meaningful.

I played a small part in building one of those communities.

And if you're thinking about volunteering, joining a cause, or starting something yourself, you can too.

Find the people who inspire you. Work with them. Learn from them. Build things together.

After all, when it comes to helping our planet, there isn't any competition.

There's just room for more people to join in.