About The Mission to Seafarers
The Mission to Seafarers has been helping bring practical, emotional, and spiritual support to seafarers and their families since 1856. We are here for the world’s 1.89 million seafarers in an ever-changing environment, contributing to a world in which every seafarer, and every seafarer family, irrespective of faith or cultural background, will enjoy a high quality of well-being and the maximum opportunity to thrive and find fulfilment.
Our charitable aim commits us to the spiritual, physical, and moral support of seafarers and their families worldwide. Our values reflect our core Christian purpose. They explain how we work and embody our ambition and commitment to focus on the way we care for seafarers and their families and those who work for our organisation.
The Mission to Seafarers provides emergency assistance, practical support, and a friendly welcome in ports all over the world. Operating under the trusted sign of the “Flying Angel”, the Mission touches the lives of seafarers in numerous ways, responding to their needs and connecting them with local communities, including:
- Advocacy, advice, and counselling
- Communication, transport, and centre hospitality
- Emergency response
- Hospital and prison visitation
- Ship visitation
- Spiritual support
In addition to our port-facing work, a strong portfolio of complementary wider programme has developed in recent years. This includes our Family Support Networks, our suite of WeCare educational programmes and the MtS Seafarers Happiness Index.
Our funding has been through a particularly successful period, reflecting a superb Development team. That funding is drawn from a wide range of sources, both individual and corporate. In recent years, we have benefited from very significant legacy giving, increasingly strong maritime corporate income and great support from the major maritime trusts. We are focused on achieving local and regional sustainability, wherever possible.
The Mission to Seafarers is proud to be one of the ten “Partners in Mission” of the Church of England and we work in close partnership with the Anglican Communion throughout the world. We also operate with a very wide range of partnerships across numerous organisations, both faith-based and secular.
Our Values
- Pioneering
- United
- Inclusive
- Collaborative
- Accountable
- Caring
The Board
The Charity is governed by a high calibre Board of Trustees who are prominent leaders with wide experience of the shipping industry, leading members of the clergy or industry leaders with relevant experience. The Board is currently led by the Chairman, Thomas Boardley, who has over 30 years’ experience in the maritime sector, including several years as Marine Director at Lloyds Register.
The Trustees provide appropriate oversight, strategic direction, expertise, support and contacts for the Mission’s work and hold meetings a minimum of four times a year (usually January, April, July and October). The Board also has the following sub-committees which usually meet once or twice a year: Governance and Nominations, Audit and Risk, Grants and Programme, Investment, and Remuneration. Trustees are usually required to sit on a minimum of one committee.