Island Carriers

While many people associate Isles of Scilly Freight with Gry Maritha and the vital goods she transports to and from the islands, our freight operation extends far beyond that. From the Lyonesse Lady, which handles inter-island deliveries, to Island Carriers, the islands’ dedicated delivery service.

Island Carriers is a vital part of our operation, and often the final leg in a much larger process. We spoke to some of the Island Carriers team to learn more about what Island Carriers does for the local community.

Emma Squire, Island Carriers Manager

What does each working day look like as a manager for Island Carriers?

No two days are the same, but a typical day for me on what we call a ‘boat day’ (when our freight ship, Gry Maritha, docks at St Mary’s) is running the operations and coordinating the team. This includes a range of tasks – creating a work plan, generating quotes, selling fuel, taking luggage bookings, performing admin duties such as invoicing, banking, booking freight, responding to enquiries, ordering supplies, etc.

Can you tell me more about the team at Island Carriers and the kind of roles there are?

We currently have two HGV drivers, Ray, who has been with us for a while and Paddy, who passed his HGV this year and has taken to the role incredibly well. We also have two full-time van drivers, Jay and James, two part-time drivers – Mark and Lee, and Kizzy who splits her time between assisting with admin duties and driving. We also have Keith and John, who do fuel for the airport.

Island Carriers is a busy operation – what do you enjoy most about it?

I love how every day is different and how the days go by so quickly because of how busy it is. It’s a challenge – but one I really enjoy. I also love working with my colleagues, they really are a great bunch.

Kizzy Nicholls, Driver and Admin Assistant

Can you tell us a little about your role at Island Carriers?

I’ve assisted with driving and administration since April 2024 after having previously been a driver for Island Carriers. Each day is different from one another – I can be spending the morning unloading food from Gry Maritha and then spend the afternoon invoicing and inputting data. A big part of my role is making sure everything that has been delivered gets logged to ensure it goes to the right person at the right time.

Can you tell us more about the delivery side of your role?

My day starts at 7am when we go to the Gry, and from there I will do the frozen run. I’ll deliver the frozen food as the rest of the team splits the fresh and dry food among them and we get this delivered.

Afterwards, we go back to the yard and sort through the courier parcels from Yodel and DPD. After our lunch, it is then time to take St Martin’s Scilly Flowers to the airport to be delivered on a freighter plane. This is then followed by delivering food to the co-op and by doing home deliveries. It’s a busy operation!

Jeanette Ware, Island Operations Manager

What do you do for Island Carriers in your day-to-day?

I support the Island Carriers’ manager in the day-to-day running of the operation and I have a big presence in the team’s working life. I cover days off and run the office when Emma is away. Island Carriers is a huge part of my working life and is somewhere I love to be.

Is there anything you would like people to know about Island Carriers?

Island Carriers is a vibrant and happy place to be at all times. We are a close team and work together for the good of our customers and the team. We get involved in every department of the company. We fuel all the aircraft for Skybus and all out-of-hours emergency helicopters. Our team works around the clock, including Christmas Day, to be on call for the community. I want to thank everyone at Island Carriers for their hard work!

You can read more about Island Carriers and their services here.