news & views

The Worshipful Company of Marketors is pleased to announce the completion of another successful project of pro-bono marketing support to a small charity. 

Working through the Marketors’ Outreach Committee, represented by outreach director and Liveryman Lesley Lloyd, an experienced Chair and NED, the livery provided expert guidance and support to the GreenSeas Trust (www.greenseas.org), a marine conservation charity.

Established ten years ago, the GreenSeas Trust is devoted to stopping and preventing plastics from being disposed of in seas where they can be ingested by living organisms in the oceans, become embedded in the food chain, and contribute to the growth of greenhouse gases. Run by Faizilette Khan and two other trustees, the charity places attractively coloured and designed bins (BinforGreenSeas) in key locations (currently ten sites around England), encouraging people to use them as a repository for their plastic waste. This includes cigarette butts, the number one item found in coastal clean ups, which are made from cellulose acetate fibres. Upon reaching the sea, they release toxic chemicals such as, Acetone, Ammonia, Formaldehyde and Cadmium, the active component in battery acid. Green Seas have also introduced a Pocket Ashtray to encourage smokers to dispose of their butts responsibly.

With the view to supporting the charity’s growth through an increased number of bins and pocket ashtrays, wider audience engagement, and the persuasion of holiday companies to reduce cigarette butt pollution, Lesley offered advice and guidance on PR and social media strategy, how to approach holiday companies at senior level and the preparation of copywriting and presentation material. 

Official feedback from the GreenSeas Trust confirmed that Lesley’s efforts – entirely voluntary, in line with the ethos of the Marketors’ Outreach Committee – were well appreciated and rated 5 out of 5 for meeting expectations set at the start of the project and providing a useful report/project.

If you are a small charity, the Marketors Outreach Committee may be able to help you to use marketing effectively to achieve your goals. Contact us for more information at outreach@marketors.org.