Supporting Mariners in Financial Need
The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society has been providing financial support to mariners in need for over 186 years, having been established following the tragic loss of a fleet of fishing boats on the north Devon coast in 1838. The Society’s name reflects its early work supporting families affected by the thousands of Shipwrecks which took place around the British Isles each year, albeit it’s work has gradually evolved over time to focus on mariners affected by metaphorical shipwrecks, including those unable to work and those struggling to make ends meet during retirement.
As the largest charity providing financial grants to individuals from the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets, it distributes approximately £1.4M in support each year in over 2000 cases of need. The majority of this funding goes to retired seafarers, although a significant level of support is provided to working age mariners, with demand noticeably increasing over recent years due to the cumulative impact of both the COVID pandemic and the more recent cost-of-living crisis.
Financial support generally comes in two forms – firstly, regular grants, which are normally provided to retired people living on very low incomes, and secondly, one-off grants, to people of all ages, to help tackle a wide range of issues including homelessness, priority debts, evictions, house repairs, disability related home adaptations or simpler issues like replacement domestic items. However, the support provided isn’t always financial; the Society works with a range of other organisations providing additional but complementary support. This includes the Sailors’ Advice and Information Line (SAIL), which provides advice on benefits and managing debts, as well as organisations like the Fishermen’s Mission and Nautilus Welfare, who provide frontline caseworking support within local communities throughout the UK. The Society also works closely with a range of other grant providers (Seafarers’ Hospital Society, Sailors’ Children’s Society, the Royal Merchant Navy Education Foundation), so if they can’t provide direct support, they often know someone who can.
Whilst the majority of support provided by the Society tends to evolve over time, it also responds to more rapidly emerging need, as evidenced by recent grants to support low-income families who lost out on the government’s winter fuel payments, and its recently established ‘Household Appliance Fund’, which is specifically aimed at helping working seafarers (and their families) who are living without one or more essential household appliances in their home.
The Society is only able to meet current levels of demand thanks to a large community of individual donors, combined with long-term funding from a number of organisational donors.
The Charity’s major public fundraising campaign is through its annual Christmas Card Appeal. It publishes a range of very attractive maritime and traditional Christmas, everyday and birthday cards, along with associated gift items which always prove popular. The Society’s cards can be viewed and purchased online at www.charitycardshop.com/sms
Please help the Society to spread the word about what they do, both to those who may need their support, and those who may want to support their work. Further details about the Charity’s history and work can be found at www.shipwreckedmariners.org.uk.