A special event to celebrate COWRIE’s contribution to the UK offshore wind industry, and thank all of those who have supported the work of COWRIE, was held on 28th June. The event took place on board The Royal Daffodil, a Mersey Ferry, which departed from Liverpool and steamed around Burbo Bank Offshore Wind Farm whilst guests enjoyed a drinks reception, light dinner and musical entertainment from up-and-coming Liverpool band, Sound of Guns.
COWRIE Board Members were pleased to welcome onboard members of the COWRIE Working Groups, who have generously contributed their time and expertise to support the work of COWRIE, as well as representatives of offshore wind farm developers, RenewableUK, the Marine Management Organisation, government bodies, statutory conservation agencies, conservation NGOs and others.
The evening kicked off with short speeches from: Alan Moore, Chairman of COWRIE; Rob Hastings, COWRIE Board Member and Director of Marine at the Crown Estate; Maria McCaffery, CEO of RenewableUK; and Ashley Holt of the Marine Management Organisation. Carolyn Heeps (Company Secretary) completed the presentations and encouraged guests to network freely for the rest of the evening. There was a particular emphasis on the unique, collaborative nature of COWRIE, which has enabled offshore wind farm developers to work with regulators and conservation organisations to develop best-practice standards and ensure the environmental sustainability of their industry. Ashley Holt reminded those present of the need to ensure that the function COWRIE has performed is not lost once the charity is wound up later this year.
For the remainder of the evening guests were free to mingle over food and drink, get a rare view of Burbo Bank Offshore Wind Farm from the water and enjoy the musical entertainment – Sound of Guns put on a great show! By selecting a new, young band, already enjoying early success, COWRIE was once again able to demonstrate their innovative and fresh approach to the offshore industry! Many people took this opportunity to make new connections and, in some cases, put faces to names previously known only by email.
The event was a great success, with thanks due to all of those whose hard work went into the planning and execution. We would like to thank everyone who attended for helping us to celebrate the achievements of COWRIE in style, and further develop our legacy of collaboration between developers, conservation agencies, regulators and others, to ensure the sustainable development of the UK’s offshore wind industry.
We look forward to seeing everyone at our final appearance at the RenewableUK Annual Conference in Glasgow, in early November. Drop by the stand to say hello.
(Photo courtesy of Stuart Rayner)