Before joining the Sailors’ Society I had pretty much zero
knowledge about the world of shipping and why that would even warrant the support of a charity. Why would I?

It’s a relatively well hidden industry to Joe public, with
sailors and ships out at sea months at a time in isolation, away from any country. 

Most of us believe, and I include myself in this up until recently,
that importing and trading goods is relatively low risk and not much thought is given to how our imported goods reach us.

We’re technologically advanced enough to avoid risks and
travel is very safe, millions of us do it every year. To an extent this is true; however, although vehicles have gotten safer, the ruthlessness of sea has not changed.

Pirates still traverse the waters hoping to find ships laden
with expensive cargo or if not, to hold the ship itself hostage, as these are not cheap vehicles.

Ships can be abandoned by the owning company, for such reasons as going into administration, common in our current climate, leaving the crew aboard unable to gain entry to the nearest port, having no
fuel to return home and slowly starving as provisions diminish as no one will rescue them.

Crews arrested simply for doing their job because of a
misunderstanding when entering different waters with different rules, which can sometimes take years to resolve.

Mishaps occur, as the engines of these container ships are
so huge crew work inside the engine itself.  

Or a larger disaster, ships sink or go missing, where crew ultimately perish.

Aside from all of these extreme hazards, which are sadly
common and not reported in the main media, there is another challenge that seafarers face. That is one of loneliness and isolation. Working aboard these inorganic environments. Crew numbers are kept to a minimum to keep the cost of shipping low and therefore go days without seeing another crew member, let alone months without seeing their friends and family. This can lead to depression and other mental
illnesses.

Many of the crew come from impoverished countries because
the salary is way more than they would earn in their home country and they can provide for their families. But as I’ve now explained, they risk their lives to do this, and when it all goes wrong, those families are left without anything, as often the crew member is the main source of income.

This is where the Sailors’ Society can help. They support
seafarers in desperate times, in the past they have negotiated hostage
situations, arrests, and abandonment. They have also supported the affected families emotionally and financially during these times. They work closely with seafaring communities, helping to rebuild areas affected by hurricane Haiyan, as a third of seafarers are Filipino. 

Sailors’ Society have volunteers spread all across the world working in the ports to regularly visit the docking ships and speaking to the seamen, either helping them get in touch with their families, provide
counselling after a traumatic experience they may have had at sea, identifying mental health issues and arranging the help they need. 

There are many more elements to the Sailors’ Society, but this provides an idea why I think it’s a good idea to support the charity in their compassion and hard work to these ghosts of the sea.

So here is my pledge and I’m asking if you can help me to achieve it, working together with my friends, family and colleagues to bring
some light to people who think they’ve been forgotten.

I am taking on the Loch Ness challenge, although not in the
sea, this is still going to provide me food for thought battling sea like
conditions in a canoe across the great Glen including Loch Ness. 

I will be paddling 60 miles in 4 days, and camping along the edge of the canals and the lochs this September.

Now here’s another reason to support my fundraising journey.
Those of you who know me, know I’ve got very long and silky hair which for years I’ve flaunted and enjoyed greatly. If I hit £1000 by the 31^st
of July then I will cut this off and donate it to a cancer charity to make a
wig for someone else to enjoy and bring some happiness in a time of difficulty.

So as well as donating, please do share in the hope that more may wish to donate to help me achieve my pledge and also make me cut my hair off!

I’d like to say a huge and hopeful thank you for supporting me in my endeavor.

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.