The Isle of Man Maritime Group, which was formed in January 2014 has donated ?451.83 to the Kathleen and May Heritage Trust as part of a legacy from an event the Group hosted on board the Kathleen and May tallship during the International Festival of Business (‘IFB’) - held in Liverpool earlier this year. 
 
The Group, which aims to promote the Isle of Man as a maritime centre of excellence, held a very successful inaugrual group event on the ship and have donated their remaining event funds as a thank you to the superb team on board the Kathleen and May. 
 
The Kathleen and May is the last remaining British built wooden hull three masted top sail schooner and is listed as part of the National Historic Fleet.  During the IFB, the ship was the Group’s sole venue for a series of networking events and evening receptions hosted as part of the Maritime, Logistics and Energy Week.  The Group’s event, which attracted over 200 attendees, was hailed by organisers as a highlight to the festival and was so successful that the Group are now planning on hosting an event at London International Shipping Week (LISW) in September 2015, building on the momentum generated from the IFB. 
 
Commenting on the donation to the Trust, the Isle of Man Maritime’s Group Chairman, Bruce McGregor, commented, “The Group is delighted to be able to give back to the Kathleen and May Trust after we received such a warm welcome at the International Festival for Business.  The work that the volunteers of the Trust do demonstrates outstanding commitment and generosity and it is their hard work and the donations that they receive, which allows the Trust to continue.  As a Group of maritime based organisations, we are very pleased to offer our support to this historic charity and continue to promote the Isle of Man as a centre of excellence.”
 
Current members of the Isle of Man Maritime group include:  Baker Tilly; Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement; Bibby Ship Management; Bibby Ship Travel; Boston Limited; Cayman National Bank and Trust Company (Isle of Man) Limited; Dohle; ICM Group; i-Bos Ltd; Isle of Man Ship Registry; Isle of Man Shipping Association; the Isle of Man SuperYacht Forum; KPMG and PDMS. 
 
For more information about the Isle of Man Maritime Group, please visit the Group’s website www.iom-maritime.com. 
 
Photo - Isle of Man Maritime Group Chairman, Bruce McGregor (left), presenting donation (?451.83) on behalf of the Group to Cindy and Jeff Grice, on board the Kathleen and May in Liverpool’s Canning dock.