When was the last time you ate a banana? Enjoyed a cup of coffee or a glass of wine? Used a mobile phone or computer? Watched TV, travelled in a car, or wore clothes made of cotton?

The chances are that most of those things were produced abroad. They are among Britain's biggest imports via sea.

As many of you will know, I have travelled on freight ships alongside the crew. I have seen how hard they work to help bring us these goods. They are on shift every single day of their 3 to 9 month contracts at sea. Yet seafarers and their welfare are largely invisible.

I have seen how they make a family out of the 10-30 other seafearers on board, who might all be from different countries and speak other languages. These are the only people they will see except when the ship is in port. Cargo ships don't spend long in port these days. Usually less than a day.

I have seen the isolation of individuals away from their families for months at a time. One seafarer had a son he hadn't seen for over 6 months, and whom he couldn't phone to wish him a happy 7th birthday. This is commonplace. Even I have experienced the frustration of being at anchor in Force 10-11 storm in the North Sea for two days, out of mobile phone reception when I actually needed to get in touch with somebody.

All of the above was on ships carrying non-volatile cargo, in comparatively safe waters, and belonging to decent, reputable shipping companies who treat their seafarers well and pay the port charges so that the ship can dock. Things can easily go wrong if one thing changes - stranding or abandonment at sea, piracy, shipwreck or fire, even a death on board.

The Mission to Seafarers provides help and support to the 1.5 million men and women who face danger every day to keep our global economy afloat. Through their global network of chaplains, staff and volunteers they offer practical, emotional and spiritual support to seafarers through ship visits, drop-in seafarers' centres and a range of welfare and emergency support services.

Please sponsor me as I attempt to swim 10km in the (hopefully less choppy) waters of the London Aquatics Centre and support the work of the Mission to Seafarers. No donation too small. Here is a selection of things that your donation could help to pay for:

£10 - a trip to the local town for four seafarers

£20 - up to seven books and magazines for seafarers to read in our Seafarer Centres

£25 - four board games for seafarers to play in our Seafarer Centres

£30 - electricity to power 150 mobile phones or tablets for a day while seafarers are visiting the local area

£30 - an education pack to teach 50 children about seafaring

£40 - for wi-fi connection for a month allowing 50 seafarers to videocall their families at home

£50 - a visit onboard from a Mission to Seafarers Chaplain

£100 - 100 global SIM cards, allowing seafarers to call home without being overcharged

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.