CharityMarine Travel is proud to support Sailors’ Society, one of the oldest maritime welfare charities in the world. Sailors’ Society’s life-changing work supports seafarers and their families, often from some of the most deprived areas of the world, with everything from port welfare and crisis response to wellness training and education.
Since 2006 we have raised in excess of £18,000 towards Sailors’ Society global work with seafarers, their families and communities.
Reaching out to 23,000 seafarers every month, the charity provides practical, emotional and spiritual welfare support in 87 ports and 21 countries. Their port chaplains and volunteers visit crew on board ships offering everything from a friendly ear and counselling, to transport into town and WiFi to make that all important call back home.
Sailors’ Society is also a leading light in the fight against poor mental health at sea. Their pioneering Wellness at Sea programme, which includes a free mental health and wellbeing awareness campaign for shipping companies, support services, resources for seafarers, training and e-learning, helps seafarers to maintain their health and wellbeing on board.
They assist hundreds of seafarers every year via their 24-7 helplines, family outreach work, and emergency grants, and operate a Crisis Response Network which provides counselling and welfare support to survivors of incidents at sea such as abandonment or accident.
Sailors’ Society also runs projects around the world supporting seafaring communities. Current projects include a mobile medical unit for retired seafarers in Chennai, India and family resiliency workshops in the Philippines.
Why should you care?
Throughout the pandemic, seafarers have kept our shops and cupboards stocked, transporting food and vital PPE and medicine. Almost 90 per cent of everything we own or use comes to us by sea – our cars, our computers, our phones. Seafarers spend up to a year away from home, facing daily challenges of violent storms, extreme loneliness and the threat of piracy to bring us the goods we use every day.
How can you help?
There are so many ways for you and your business to lend your support. You could sponsor a Sailors’ Society project or do as we have and select them as your nominated charity. If you have time to give, you could volunteer as a ship visitor or get involved in a fundraising event.
Find out more at www.sailors-society.org
