The Seafarers Advice and Information Line (SAIL) received a prestigious award and was named Most Collaborative Organisation at last week’s Merchant Navy Welfare Board (MNWB) Port Welfare Conference in Liverpool. The award, the first of its kind, was given in recognition of the work that has been undertaken by SAIL to reach out to other maritime charities and explore ways of working together for the benefit of their clients. This work has been part of a programme of outreach involving the whole SAIL team and carried out over the past 12 months.
Accepting the award on behalf of SAIL, Daniel Barrett, Interim SAIL Manager, said: “We’re honoured to be the first recipient of the MNWB’s Most Collaborative Organisation award. People are stronger when they work together, and so are charities. No organisation can do everything, and we each have our own areas of expertise. As a Citizens Advice service, we know a lot about welfare benefits and housing, debt and employment. But what we also know is that to achieve the best outcomes for our clients we must collaborate with our partners across the maritime charity sector.”
He went on to thank some of the organisations they’ve worked with in the sector, including the Fishermen’s Mission, Seafarers Hospital Society and Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society. Daniel explained: “We work closely with the Fishermen’s Mission, who refer active and former fishers to SAIL for advice on their welfare benefit entitlements and debts. Then grant-making charities such as the Seafarers Hospital Society and Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society can step in and provide additional financial support to the client.”
“Collaboration is a two-way street,” headded. “So, thank you to all of those who work with us for the betterment of our clients’ lives. The difference we make alone may be small, but the difference we make together is immeasurable.”
Case Study
James was referred to SAIL by the Fishermen’s Mission. He served in both the Merchant and the Royal Navy and has also been a fisherman. James was terminally ill with cancer and needed help to heat his home. He and his wife live in a rural part of Scotland and it’s very cold during winter.
They needed help to fix their oil tank and pay for oil. They also needed a new front door to stop the loss of heat. And with James’s condition they needed to keep the heating on all day but couldn’t afford to pay the bills.
SAIL intervened. They secured charitable grants for fuel costs from several organisations including the Shipwrecked Mariner’s Society, the Seafarers Hospital Society and the Fuel Bank Foundation’s Heat Fund for off-grid homes. They also found them extra funding to fix the front door and the oil tank. James and his wife were incredibly grateful.
Sadly, James passed away, but SAIL continues to provide advice and support to his widow as she grapples with the increased cost of living now that there is only one income.
