The Seafarers' Charity

Seafarers UK (previously King George's Fund for Sailors) is the leading grant-making charity that has been helping people in the maritime community for over 100 years, by providing vital funding to support seafarers in need and their families. The charity supports organisations and projects that make a real difference to people's lives across the Merchant Navy, Fishing Fleets, Royal Navy and Royal Marines.

In 2019, Seafarers UK awarded £2.2m in grants to support 43 maritime welfare charities, helping over 209,000 seafarers in need and their families.

Description

As an ‘island nation’ the UK depends on its seafarers to defend its shores, trade with other countries and import essential fuel and food. The job of a seafarer is therefore vital, but also demanding and hazardous with a much greater chance of injury than many other professions. A large number of those serving will be facing problems of very different kinds; long periods of separation from friends and family, extended periods of duty, fatigue, and working heavy machinery whilst being exposed to harsh weather. Such dangers and difficulties can lead to disability, depression, debt, relationship breakdown, homelessness or even death. Seafarers UK's funding enables seafarers to access advice and information, adapt to life on shore, re-train and find new employment. It also improves their quality of life by helping to provide the essentials of daily living that a small pension (or none) cannot cover. Often it may be the family of a seafarer who has been injured, held hostage or who has subsequently died that require assistance. Because Seafarers UK works closely with all of the organisations that support seafarers and their dependants, the charity can target donations where they will make the biggest difference.

Seafarers UK receives no government funding and relies on donations and fundraising to be able to carry on providing long-term aid. Without this, there simply wouldn't be the level of support it is able to provide today and that each year gives hope and help to over 160,000 seafarers and their families when they need it most.

History

The First World War took a terrible toll on merchantmen and warships: in one fortnight in 1917 many thousands of sailors and over 400,000 tons of shipping were lost. Many of those men had a family to support, and towards the end of the war many small charitable organisations were set up to support the injured and bereaved.

In the City of London, far-sighted ship-owners and officers realised that what was most needed was an umbrella organisation that could take a realistic overview of the need and direct resources to where they were needed. They set up a Fund for that purpose and His Majesty King George V took a deep and immediate interest, giving both his name and an establishing donation of £5000 to the new organisation.

During subsequent conflicts, and in the intervening years of peace, King George's Fund for Sailors continued to provide both immediate and long-term support to the casualties of war, and to others who have paid a high price for a life at sea.

The charity has always supported veterans, the injured and the bereaved, but as an umbrella organisation, its focus is on the needs of the whole maritime community. In the modern world that means the charity also deals with such issues as homelessness, unemployment, the strain on separated families, the poverty and hardship that afflict shoreline communities (e.g. when fish stocks dwindle or merchant vessels grow too large for local docks).

In 2005 King George's Fund for Sailors changed its name to Seafarers UK.

Grant funding

Seafarers UK is a leading provider of grants to maritime charities and charitable maritime projects, working to help serving and ex-serving seafarers and their families who are experiencing hardship. Seafarers UK operates a continuous grant making process and assesses applications on a rolling basis.

Campaigning

Each year Seafarers UK campaigns on behalf of seafarers across the Merchant Navy, Royal Navy and Fishing Fleets to raise awareness of the UK's maritime sector in its entirety – and thereby increase public understanding of the challenging lives of many seafarers.

The charity's considerable influence is also being applied elsewhere for effective campaigning. Seafarers UK is a member of Maritime UK, the pan-industry promotional body, for whom Seafarers UK chairs its ‘Careers Promotion Forum’.

Seafarers Awareness Week

Since 2010 Seafarers UK has coordinated and promoted an annual Seafarers Awareness Week which each year focuses on a different theme.

In 2020 Seafarers Awareness Week took place 6-12 July – coinciding with the Department for Transport’s Maritime Safety Week – when Seafarers UK highlighted the challenges faced by merchant seafarers and their families as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and focused on the sensitive issue of seafarers’ suicides.

Fly the Red Ensign for Merchant Navy Day

The annual Seafarers UK campaign ‘Fly the Red Ensign for Merchant Navy Day’ launched in 2015, and takes place on Merchant Navy Day on 3 September. The campaign encourages public bodies to fly the Red Ensign, the official flag of the UK Merchant Navy, ashore atop civic buildings and on prominent flag poles to raise public awareness of the UK's dependence as an ‘island nation’ on seafarers past, present and future.

In 2019, the campaign saw more than 1,000 Red Ensigns flown ashore on Merchant Navy Day. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said ‘2019 marks the centenary of King George V’s grant of the title ‘Merchant Navy’. I am delighted that, in honour of this milestone, the Red Ensign flag will fly above 10 Downing Street on this Merchant Navy Day.’

Fundraising

Seafarers UK receives no statutory funding and relies on supporters, donors and volunteers to be able to carry on providing the long-term aid. Annually, Seafarers UK runs a number of fundraising events to raise vital funds to continue providing essential support to seafarers in need and their families and dependants.

Partner organisations

Seafarers UK works with numerous partner organisations across all its campaigning, fundraising and grant-giving work, including:

Governance

Seafarers UK's governing document is the Royal Charter, first issued in 1920 and last amended in 2010. The Royal Charter describes Seafarers UK's charitable objects as:

The relief of seafarers, their families or dependants, who are in need
The education and training of people of any age to prepare for work or service at sea
The promotion of the efficiency and effectiveness of the maritime charitable sector and
The promotion of safety at sea.

Patron and Trustees

Patron

Her Majesty The Queen

President

His Royal Highness, The Earl of Wessex and Forfar, KG, GCVO

Chairman

Paul Butterworth LLB (Hons) MNI

Deputy Chairman

Captain R Barker MN

Trustees

Mr D W T Bain FCA
Surgeon Commodore P J Buxton OBE QHP RN
Mr M Carden
Mr M Dickinson
Mr P French
Mr R Greenwood
Mr G Kidd
Mr W Lawes
Alderman The Lord Mountevans
Mr J Monroe
Mr W A Reid
Ms N Shaw FCIPD FRSA
Ms D M Sterling
Lieutenant Commander P Tomlin MBE

External links