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Kieran Wade has spent his career making people happy – from being a project manager for over 15 over Merlin sites including Sea Lifes, The Dungeons and Legoland Discovery Centres to his new role within the Merlin Entertainments group as operations manager at the SEA LIFE Scarborough. His work, and his public facing role, makes dream days out happen. But behind the scenes, Kieran and the team do so much more, making the SEA LIFE Scarborough a huge part of the local community, with education and conservation at its heart. “We have 2500 creatures within our SEA LIFE centre,” said Kieran, “and of course caring for them is a huge part of what we do. And welcoming visitors to a fun, fact-filled environment is special every day. “But the core mission of the SEA LIFE Scarborough is to inspire a love for the ocean and its animals and educate people in the community.” As such, Kieran and the team work with lots of partner organisations in the area, and regularly take people in for work placements, and engage with conservation projects, making educating staff and visitors a huge part of what they do. From beach clean-ups in Yorkshire to saving sea turtles in coral reefs, to rescuing stranded or injured seal pups, the SEA LIFE mission on conservation and education is making a difference at home and abroad. Kieran has also embraced the education route himself since joining SEA LIFE Scarborough last year, studying an apprenticeship at the University of Staffordshire, and winning the North Yorkshire Apprenticeship Award for Professional Services of the year. He said: “We work closely with a lot of establishments for work placements and volunteering, and education is core to the offering for our guests, be it animals, conservation. “Having come from a regional role to my role as operations manager, the apprenticeship I’ve completed at University of Staffordshire has been invaluable for my development and it’s great to have been recognised as professional services apprenticeship of the year for both my work as a project manager and my role as operations manager.” Andrew Clay General Manager stated : “ we are incredibly proud to have Kieran recognised with the North Yorkshire Apprenticeship Award for Professional Services. Education is at the heart of everything we do at SEA LIFE Scarborough — whether that’s inspiring the next generation through our conservation work or developing our own teams to reach their full potential. This award is a real reflection of that commitment. “Winning this award means a great deal — not just personally, but for SEA LIFE Scarborough as a whole. Education sits right at the heart of what we do, from sharing the wonders of the ocean with our guests to supporting our team’s professional growth. It’s a proud moment for both me and the attraction.” Conservation projects making a difference Do you want to do your part to protect the world’s oceans, and learn about the underwater world in a fantastic family day out? Find out more and book tickets here.
