The Seafarers’ Charity News
The Seafarers’ Charity - a provider of grants and support to the maritime community - has received funding for a pilot project to develop safety management onboard fishing vessels to the standard of the Fishing Safety Management Code. The new service is called Fishing First Safety Management by SafetyFolder and aims to improve safety in the UK fishing fleet and, at the same time, increase supply chain transparency. Auditable safety standard The Seafarers’ Charity’s Chief Exe...
The Seafarers’ Charity has worked with Seafish, The Money Charity and other stakeholders to develop a new training course on money management for new entrants to fishing. The training will set new recruits on the right financial path and enable an understanding of how to manage fluctuations in income, the complexities of budgeting and making credit choices as well as the range of free resources which can help with money management. The charity’s ‘Fishing Without A Safety Net&...
As part of London International Shipping Week 2021, The Seafarers’ Charity, alongside The Mission to Seafarers, Sailors’ Society and Stella Maris organised a conference on 13 September, to explore seafarers’ wellbeing in a digital age. Hosted by satellite communications firm, Inmarsat and admirably chaired by John Adams, Managing Director, V. Ships UK, the event had 250 participants, joining both virtually and in person and a panel of experts from across the industry who explo...
The Seafarers’ Charity, in partnership with researchers at the University of Nottingham, released a new survey to better understand the reality of working conditions for fishing crew across the UK. The 20-minute research survey covers subjects including contracts and crew accommodation, facilities, and fishers' welfare. Crew members are encouraged to anonymously share their experiences of working life on fishing vessels. Financial challenges Catherine Spencer, CEO of The S...
The Seafarers’ Charity awards grants to new online services to support seafarers who have experienced sexual violence, and to help tackle loneliness and suicide. Actioning their new strategic approach, The Seafarers’ Charity awarded a total of £844,760 to 17 organisations in its first meeting of this year’s grant programme. The charity recently launched its strategy ‘Thrive’, which focuses on achieving five strategic outcomes for seafarers (enhanced financial...
A revolutionary new initiative funded by The Seafarers’ Charity will provide access to a range of affordable financial services for fishing families. The Fishing Without a Safety Net research commissioned by the Charity demonstrated that new interventions were needed to create a better financial safety net for fishing families. The first significant solution emerging from the research findings sees Commsave Credit Union open its services to the UK fishing community on 15 April 2021....
There are many reasons why working at sea can affect couple and family relationships. These include financial pressures caused by unpredictable income; the physical hazards of working at sea; time spent away from loved ones; and not being at home for birthdays and anniversaries. That’s why The Seafarers’ Charity has made free Relate counselling available to all fishers, their families, and any UK resident working as a merchant seafarer. Understanding the challenges We un...
The Seafarers’ Charity has announced the appointment of two additional Trustees to the Charity’s General Council. Nusrat Ghani, Member of Parliament, and Rear Admiral Iain Lower MA, AFNI, were selected following an open recruitment process and join the Charity at an important time. The Seafarers’ Charity recently rebranded from ‘Seafarers UK’ and is beginning the implementation of a new results-driven strategy and focusing on significantly increasing fundraising re...
On the release of its new strategy in March 2021, Seafarers UK announced that its working name will now be ‘The Seafarers’ Charity’ and will reference its heritage by using ‘King George’s Fund for Sailors’ within its brand. The Seafarers’ Charity has been the UK’s national maritime charity since 1917 and is still officially registered with the Charity Commission as the ‘King George’s Fund for Sailors’. The new strategy, 'Thrive',...