Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
I'll cut straight to it. Please sponsor me, for the Great South Run.
There seem to be lots of sponsorship requests at the moment, and in the days of the credit crunch, I know it's not always easy to dig deep over and over. Any support, however would be greatly appreciated. As you know though, the run is on 25th October, and covers 10 miles. For some mega-fit peeps, that's a walk in the park, but considering a few months back, I could barely run a bath, please be assured that your hard-earned pennies are more than equally matched by the effort put in to meeting this challenge! Besides, it's for a good cause...
Seafarers is the new name for King George’s Fund for Sailors. They have been helping seafarers since 1917. It is an umbrella organisation that awards grants to other maritime charities, helping Seafarers and Ex-Seafarers from the Royal Navy, Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets and also provides grants for charities which help Seafarers' families, including their widows and children.
I live in , I love the sea and I respect it. If you have time to keep reading, please take a quick look at what your money is going towards and remind yourself what our sea-goers face, to benefit us all.
Life on the sea
You may once have looked out to sea during a storm, when sky and sea close in a black and angry wall. You probably shivered and thought "I'm glad I'm not out there".
A lot of our people are out there, whatever the weather or the season, carrying our trade, keeping food on our tables and defending our freedom. Sailors brought in the tea that warmed you up in a seaside cafe, the car that got you home through the storm and the fuel it used to get there.
Life at sea is hard. It always has been. Those of us who live on shore cannot imagine what it is like to fight through the icy and bring your ship to port. Sailors often live and work among these hardships and dangers for months at a time, far from their families and sustained only by camaraderie and a tradition of uncomplaining courage.
Unfortunately, for many seafarers and their families the hardship doesn't end when they reach harbour. The ancient dangers of the sea are joined by modern perils: declining fish stocks, shrinking crew rosters, oppressive regulation, dwindling communities, unemployment, poverty and the consequent strain on family life.Fishing, for example, is the most dangerous occupation in the . On average there are 10 major accidents a month. 28 vessels are lost each year. This causes real hardship for families around the country: as well as suffering the pain of bereavement and incapacity, families lose their income and their role in the community. Even in less awful circumstances, every seafarer's family knows the difficulty of long separation and lives every day with the knowledge that one of their family might not come home.
From the Navy in Portsmouth to the fishermen of Caithness, Britain's sailors are among the best in the world, and despite its dangers very few would give up the sea for a life on land. When they eventually have to, it can be very difficult for a sailor to adapt to retirement, unemployment or invalidity, and many never do. It is hard to find new work on the shore, if you've been a sailor all your life, and it can be very hard to adapt to the different routine and culture of normal employment. Far too many old sailors end up homeless, depressed, addicted or unemployed.
We are an island nation, and it is thanks to our sailors that we are rich and free. Now they need our support. Seafarers has given over £26 million in grants over the last ten years to help sailors and their families. Please help us to continue this work.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig as deep as you can and donate now.
