Area served United Kingdom | ||
Type Charitable organisation Registration no. England and Wales: 313013 Scotland: SC037808 Focus Education/training, Youth organisations Location 202 Lambeth Road, London SE1 7JW Key people Martin Coles (CEO), Captain Phil Russell RN (Captain Sea Cadets) | ||
The Marine Society & Sea Cadets is seafarers' charity in the United Kingdom and the national organization for Sea Cadets.
Contents
It was formed in 2004 from a merger of two long-established maritime charities, and is a registered charity in England & Wales and Scotland.
History
The Marine Society & Sea Cadets resulted from the merging in 2004 of the Sea Cadet Association (previously the Navy League – the charity that supported the Royal Navy, and the oldest such organisation worldwide) and The Marine Society, the world's oldest seafarers' charity.
Activities
The MSSC owns and operates the Sea Cadet Corps, a British voluntary uniformed youth cadet organization and the first named organization of its kind. It consists of about 400 units and 14,000 young people learning nautical and life skills. The first Sea Cadet Unit was established in Whitstable in 1854. The Marine Society was established in 1756. Both share very similar beginnings, to support young, destitute orphans and boys, clothe and educate them, and train them with a skill. Many of the Marine Society boys went on to be apprenticed on Royal Naval ships, including at Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar.
Its headquarters is in Lambeth, in London, in a unique dark red brick building visible from the eastern side of the railway line to and from Waterloo station. The building was originally the Archbishop Temple Boys School (grid reference TQ308790 approx)