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‘Saving the ocean is all I’ve ever wanted to do’
When she was young, Emily Cunningham was told multiple times that becoming a marine biologist was “not a realistic aspiration” for a working class girl from Stafford.
More than 20 years later, she is more than a decade into her dream career and has been appointed an MBE in the King’s New Year Honours list.
Ms Cunningham said she was “truly honoured” with the award, which she received in recognition of her services to marine conservation and coastal communities.
“Saving the ocean is all I’ve ever wanted to do,” she said.
Ms Cunningham has worked on conservation projects in the UK and overseas, including in Antarctica and the Amazon, and has secured more than £5m in funding for various initiatives.
She co-founded Motion for the Ocean, the world’s first ocean recovery declaration for local government, calling on councils to declare an urgent need to protect the ocean as part of the climate emergency.
It has since been adopted by 33 local authorities, including Stafford Borough Council.
She has also served as a trustee of the Marine Conservation Society and was named among the 30 under-30 global environmental leaders by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) in 2020.
“Marine conservation is more than just my job, it has been my life, passion and mission for more than 20 years,” Ms Cunningham said.
“It can be a tough and thankless task given the scale of the challenges facing our ocean, so to be recognised in this way means the world.”
The former Walton High School pupil’s voluntary work for the ocean started from the age of eight when she began a charity project called Manatees and Dolphins, raising £87 over 18 months.
She has continued her voluntary work by organising beach cleans, wildlife surveys, talks and write-to-MP sessions.
Ms Cunningham is currently co-ordinating research on marine and freshwater dolphins, as well as writing her first book.
“Most little girls outgrow their dreams of becoming a marine biologist and plenty of people told me it wasn’t a realistic aspiration for a state-schooled, working class girl from Staffordshire,” Ms Cunningham said.
“But I’m so glad I chased my dreams.”
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