Please consider giving to the Fishermen's Mission Shetland Appeal this year, a year that has seen so many hardships for fishermen and their families.

"The Coronavirus and resulting lockdown have inevitably changed the way that we, like so many others, carry out our work. Little did I expect to be penning this year's letter from a makeshift office in the spare bedroom of my home," writes Superintendent Aubrey Jamieson in his Shetland Appeal letter. He goes on to write:

"Caring for sick and injured fishermen who find themselves taken to Lerwick is a regular feature of our work. Some arrive via the helicopter or lifeboat; others are brought in by their own vessels and require transfer to hospital.

Once in hospital, some need clothing or toiletries which we can source while others are simply glad of a bit of company and support and assistance when they leave hospital.

All of these normal Mission activities have been challenging with the restrictions and social distancing measures, including not being able to visit in hospital or indeed accompany a casualty into A & E, and we have had to find alternative ways of offering support. 

These have included booking appointments, liaising with skippers, delivering clothes and other items to the hospital reception, arranging accommodation, flights, and taxis, and meeting the fisherman outside to offer reassurance and pass on travel information or anything else they require.      

In the absence of home visiting we have sought to keep in touch with dozens of retired fishermen and widows through many hours of phone calls and by letter. 

With no public events and services taking place I recorded two church services for BBC Radio Shetland and produced an online service for Seafarers Awareness Week in July where we remembered the difficulties faced by fishermen and other seafarers which have only been amplified in recent months.

No one knows what this winter may hold for our fishermen or indeed anyone else in our islands. Despite the difficulties, we want to go on bringing Christian care and support to our fishing community.

Please help us as we help those continuing to work in what is still the most dangerous occupation in these extremely challenging and very uncertain times."

You can also text SHETLANDAPPEAL to 70085 to give £10