The Princess Royal has opened ‘magnificent’ multi-million pound
state-of-the-art new welfare facilities for former seafarers at Nautilus
International’s Mariners’ Park Estate.

On her second visit to the 16-acre site on the banks of the river
Mersey, Princess Anne formally unveiled the new Trinity House Hub, a
£4.1million project to build 18 fully-accessible apartments for older
seafarers and their dependants, along with community facilities
including a café, a spa, a gym and rooms for meetings and hobbies.

The Trinity House Hub has been built as part of a programme of new
developments at Mariners’ Park, which has been providing support and
services to seafarers in need since 1857 and presently provides
accommodation for 160 retired seafarers and their dependants.

The programme included a new care home – which was opened by the
Princess Royal in 2002 – and new flats and bungalows for retired
seafarers.

The Deputy Master of Trinity House, Captain Ian McNaught, said:
‘Throughout our 500 years we have had at the core of our
organisation the principal of serving the mariner, past present and
future.

‘These new facilities are excellent and I am extremely pleased we
have been able to contribute over £2million to provide them. They are a great
legacy and will provide former mariners and their dependants with
comfortable communal spaces that contribute to the feeling of community
here for many years to come.’

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson told guests at the opening
event: ‘I believe that this building will provide a suitable
commemoration for this anniversary for many decades to come.’

He said the new facilities would provide high quality accommodation
and care services to many residents, as well as communal facilities
available to them and everyone else in Mariners’ Park and the local
maritime community.

Pictures credited to: Colin McPherson