February 2023

Dear Supporter,

Welcome to the first edition of Seapost in 2023.

This winter, it is estimated that more than 1.5m households in the UK had to choose between eating or heating. We are working alongside our delivery partners and supporters to deliver our innovative programme designed to provide immediate support to working and retired seafarers and their families who are facing in-work poverty and struggling to meet the increasing costs of inflation for basic needs.

In this issue, we are also announcing that The Seafarers' Charity's former CEO, Catherine Spencer, has been awarded the OBE in King Charles III’ 2023 New Year Honours List for services to seafarers. You can also learn about our upcoming challenge events and make your New Year's resolutions a reality by joining #TeamSeafarersKGFS whilst raising vital funds to help those who work at sea and their families.

Finally, we have a lot of exciting plans brewing for the year ahead and can't wait to share these with you over the coming months.

Best wishes,
Luca Selvaggio

Editor

Help us make a difference

The cost of living crisis is hitting families across the country. Our innovative programme is designed to fund services which deliver immediate support to seafarers and their families in need, but we need your help to deliver it.

We are all feeling the financial pressure right now, none of us can escape it. Which is why your generosity has that much more impact. You can help us support seafarers and their families who, now more than ever, are struggling to navigate through this crisis.

No matter how small, your support will make a big difference.

An update on the impact of your support

We have started 2023 supporting seafarers' welfare with a total of £300,000 in grant funding from The Seafarers' Charity.

It's only a month into 2023 and we have already awarded the following grants:

• £100,000 to ISWAN, to support their Seafarers' Crisis Hardship Fund to provide hardship grants to seafarers and their families impacted by the war in Ukraine

• £120,000 to Stella Maris, to support and expand their welfare provision and ship-visiting programme for seafarers and fishers across UK ports.

• £10,000 to Fishermen's Mission, to fund a restricted North East Hardship Fund which can be used to award hardship grants to commercial fishers in the north-east of England whose livelihoods have been impacted by the unexplained deaths of lobster and crab stocks.

• £6,000 to Safer Waves, to support the core costs of providing services to merchant seafarers who have experienced sexual harassment, gender discrimination or sexual assault while working at sea.

Seaview magazine - Winter 2022/23 Edition

The latest edition of Seaview highlights how your support made a difference in 2022, how the Seafarers International Relief Fund, administered by our Charity, was able to provide essential help for seafarers and their families affected by the crisis in Ukraine, our latest fishing safety projects, Merchant Navy Day 2022, and much more.

This edition also pays tribute to our Late Patron, Queen Elizabeth II.

Did you know that February is Payroll Giving month?

Payroll Giving is one of the most efficient ways to donate to charity, because you can donate to the cause you care about directly through your salary before it is taxed. Make your gifts go further and help hardworking seafarers and their families live dignified lives free from hardship long into the future.