Published on: 19 March 2020
As the country continues to battle the COVID-19 outbreak, I want to take a moment to inform you about the work we are doing at British Marine to ensure that we can continue to support you and your business as the pandemic escalates and impacts our national health and economic wellbeing.
Our foremost priority is to ensure we keep delivering for you and equip you with the latest and most relevant information, resources and representation that you need at this unprecedented time.
How are we supporting you?
- COVID-19 microsite – with the situation and guidance changing daily, keeping you fully informed is our primary focus. We’ve set up a dedicated British Marine microsite (britishmarine.co.uk/coronavirus) where we will be uploading all the latest information and advice to prepare and support your business through the outbreak. Keep an eye on our social media and Latest News for updates and encourage all members of your team to follow us and sign up to our e-newsletter so that they can get the information just as soon as it's published. A link to the sign up is at the bottom of our homepage. In addition, our team is already answering the specific questions you may have and are still representing the interests of your business at national level.
- Membership Hotline – the Membership team and all our expert services are still a phone call or email away and we will respond to all enquiries as quickly as possible. Contact the team on 01784 223663 or email [email protected]
- Web-based meetings – we appreciate that committee meetings and AGMs are important to the running of associations and therefore, where possible, we’ve replaced scheduled face-to-face meetings with web-based conferences. Over the coming weeks, we will be utilising our online hosting capabilities further to engage with members and run training
- Gaining a better understanding of the support that is being offered by Government – we’ve all heard the Chancellors offers of business support but we’ve yet to get further clarity on how this support can be accessed. The team remains in close contact with government officials and as more information is released, we will provide advice on how best to access support
As an organisation we have a robust business continuity plan and we are taking all necessary steps to protect delivery of membership services. From Monday 16 March, until further notice, the majority of the British Marine team has been working remotely and we’ve introduced a number of additional changes to keep our services ‘business as usual’ whilst recognising the need to protect the wellbeing of our staff and members.
The British Marine Board appreciates the challenges that this virus presents to our members and in the coming weeks and months will take every possible step to find workable solutions to secure the future of our industry.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions, feel something isn’t covered in our advice, whether regarding COVID-19 or not, or just want to chat through anything and above all else, please stay safe.
Yours faithfully,
Lesley Robinson
British Marine CEO