Erin King
She is a PhD student at the University of Plymouth, with the Coastal Processes Research Group, and working in the area of hydrodynamic modelling. An oceanographer, she is also a keen sportswoman and outdoor enthusiast, and a contributor to Woman in STEM. With Amber Evans, she co-founded Not Alone, the first transgender and non-binary support group in Plymouth, which launched in March 2017. Their ambition was to let people in the transgender and non-binary community know that there was support available for them locally. Through weekly peer support groups, the Not Alone facebook page, and other social media, a resource has been developed which offers friendship, guidance and practical advice. Erin has also been working closely with the police locally, because of the challenge posed by hate crime incidents. It is a measure of the community impact that Not Alone has already had that its founders were given a Points of Light award for their service to the community, being nominated by a member of the local police, in the autumn of 2017. The work continues to flourish, with the development of more online support strategies during the Covid-19 lockdowns.