As the umbrella charity for the maritime charity sector, the Merchant Navy Welfare Board promotes co-operation between organisations that provide welfare services to seafarers and their dependants within the UK. The Board creates, operates and administers numerous projects to benefit seafarers’ welfare. In doing so it helps its Constituent Member organisations provide important welfare services, promotes the work of its Port Welfare Committees and provides welfare services itself.
Trinity House supports the Port Welfare Vehicle Replacement Project. It provides seafarers’ welfare organisations with financial support to assist with the purchase of replacement port welfare vehicles. The project enhances and promotes the delivery of welfare to seafarers and their dependants in ports around the UK, Gibraltar and the Falklands.
The collaborative group of maritime funding charities have recognised the significance of the need for vehicles used in support of seafarers’ welfare activities. To this end the Merchant Navy Welfare Board (MNWB), ITF Seafarers’ Trust, Seafarers UK and Trinity House have joined in a partnership project to enhance the welfare of visiting seafarers.
The Merchant Navy Welfare Board, in its role of supporting and co-ordinating the work of its Constituent charities works very closely with those voluntary societies providing welfare in and around the UK ports. It is those frontline organisations that provide the all-important visits to the ships and transport of seafarers ashore for the often all too brief time when their ship is alongside. This essential work can only be undertaken using vehicles and these are therefore an essential tool for this purpose.
One of the more recent vehicles to be provided is in Stanley in the Falkland Islands. Port Chaplain, Maurice Lake said “collecting the new vehicle was a tremendous moment (apart from being an uplift for us) it is a truly awesome machine and firmly speaks volumes for the Lighthouse and the support we receive from UK. I hope you will all feel something of the pride we feel to have this wonderful asset”.
In the photo are Port Chaplain Maurice Lake, Marlon the dog and His Excellency, the Governor, Nigel Phillips