Our Relations Manager, Abigail Ward, shared with our Chief Executive, Luisa Gatward, how her love of animals led her to become a Marine Mammal Medic.
"I've always loved nature and wildlife, and seals are one of my favourite animals. So when British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) joined our GivingLottery, I was delighted to get to know them. I knew them as the charity that responds when seals, dolphins, porpoises and whales get into trouble around the UK coast. I'm a qualified diver myself, but you don't need to be one to be part of the rescue network. Anyone can become a BDMLR Marine Mammal Medic (MMM). Before long, I'd booked myself onto the course."
Why I signed up
"I wanted to help where I could. The course was a chance to turn a love of wildlife into something practical. It could also be a stepping stone towards a long-held ambition of mine: volunteering at a seal rehabilitation centre."
A day on the Marine Mammal Medic course
"BDMLR's training gives you the basic knowledge, skills and expertise to respond to a call-out and act in the animal's best welfare interests. On Sunday 11 October, the last course of the year, I joined a day of training at Herne Bay that was as practical as it was fascinating. We covered:"
- Learning the animals: an introduction to pinnipeds (seals) and cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises)
- Spotting illness: what to look for when assessing whether an animal is unwell or injured
- Seal capture techniques: practising how to safely capture a seal
- Handling and release: best practice for handling seals and releasing them back to the wild
- Refloating cetaceans: how to approach a stranded whale or dolphin and get it back into the water
The Highlight of the course
“The hands-on practice was the highlight of the course. BDMLR use life-sized seal and whale models filled with water, which makes them much heavier and far more lifelike, so you get a real feel for what a rescue involves.
We practised with the refloatation pontoons used in a real stranding event. Learning how they’re positioned around the animal, and how carefully everyone has to move together, gave me a new respect for the volunteers who do this for real, whatever the weather. By the end of the day I felt I understood not just what to do, but why every step matters for the animal’s welfare.”
Becoming Qualified
“I’m delighted to share that I am now a qualified Marine Mammal Medic, and I’m on call for the Essex area. This is an exciting time for me and I’m really proud to have achieved this qualification.
Being on call means that if someone reports a seal, dolphin, porpoise or whale in difficulty near me, I could be asked to help. I’ll be working alongside experienced medics, and I’m looking forward to learning from them on my call-outs.
It also feels like a real step towards my ambition of volunteering at a seal rehabilitation centre. More than anything, it’s reminded me that the causes on our GivingLottery aren’t just partners we raise money for. They’re organisations doing remarkable work that anyone can get involved with.”
The work BDMLR does
BDMLR is a charity powered by volunteers, and the numbers show how much people rely on them:
- Over 3,000 active volunteer Marine Mammal Medics provide front-line biology, first aid and equipment operation across the UK
- Over 1,000 new medics are trained every year, and more than 20,000 have been trained since the charity began in 1988
- Over 25 whale refloatation pontoons are placed at strategic points around the UK coast, waiting to help stranded whales and dolphins
Every call-out needs someone trained, equipped and ready to respond. That's why both volunteers and funding matter so much.
Supporting BDMLR through GivingLottery
You can support BDMLR through their GivingLottery page. It's a simple way to back their work (players must be 18+):
- Tickets are £1 per week
- 40p of every ticket goes directly to BDMLR
- Players have a 1 in 50 chance of winning a prize each week, with a £25,000 jackpot
That regular, unrestricted income helps cover the things that keep volunteers trained and rescues running.
Get involved
- Play for BDMLR on GivingLottery
- Find out about the Marine Mammal Medic course (no diving experience needed): https://bdmlr.org.uk/marine-life-medic-mmm-training-course
- If you see a marine mammal in distress on the coast, call the BDMLR Rescue Hotline on 01825 765546 and keep a safe distance
"When a cause joins GivingLottery, we hope it brings them funding. I didn't expect it to bring me a new qualification, a place on a rescue call-out list, and a step closer to volunteering with seals."
About the author
Luisa Gatward
Our Chief Executive, Luisa is responsible for leading the charity and plays a key part in strategy and business development to help the charity thrive. Since joining TheGivingMachine in 2010, Luisa has been part of the charity’s growth and continued development, holding a number of roles before becoming Chief Executive.