North P&I and Apostleship of the Sea Spread Christmas Cheer to Seafarers

For the second year running, marine mutual liability insurer North P&I Club and seafarers’ charity Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) have teamed-up to spread some Christmas cheer to seafarers.

On Thursday, December 13, North handed over 67 Christmas shoeboxes to Paul Atkinson, AoS port chaplain for Blyth & Tyne. These will be distributed to seafarers over the festive period.

John Webb, Senior Executive (Claims) and Holly Hughes, Claims Executive at North P&I handed the parcels to Paul.

Around 90% of world trade is transported by ship and seafarers may spend up to a year at a time away from home, separated from their family and loved ones. Their isolation and loneliness can be felt more acutely at Christmas.

John Webb commented that North have again been overwhelmed by the generosity of staff, which has enabled us not only to exceed the number of shoeboxes that we were able to donate last year, but also, the quality and quantity of the gifts received has far exceeded our expectations.

“Many of our colleagues are ex-seafarers and have always appreciated the Christmas gifts in a shoebox, something they say brought a smile to their face while celebrating Christmas on-board,” he said.

Paul said distributing Christmas presents to seafarers was one way of letting them know that they are not forgotten during this special time.

“People sometimes tend to forget the human element to shipping – seafarers – so this a wonderful thank you gesture to let them know they are appreciated,” he said.

Paul added, “We would like to express our thanks to North P&I who have been great supporters of what we do for seafarers. It’s a great partnership.”

Ends

Caption: John Webb and Holly Hughes handing parcels to Paul Atkinson (in Santa’s hat).

Further information for Editors

The Apostleship of the Sea, AoS, is a registered charity and agency of the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of England & Wales and Scotland. It is wholly reliant on voluntary donations and legacies to continue its work.

90% of world trade is transported by ship, and more than 100,000 ships visit British ports each year. However the life of a modern seafarer can be dangerous and lonely. They may spend up to a year at a time away from home, separated from their family and loved ones, often working in harsh conditions.

AoS chaplains and ship visitors welcome seafarers to our shores – regardless of their colour, race or creed and provide them with pastoral and practical assistance. They recognise them as brothers with an intrinsic human dignity which can be overlooked in the modern globalised maritime industry.

For more information contact John Green, Director of Development on 020 7901 1931 or 07505653801 or email john.green@stellamarismail.org

www.apostleshipofthesea.org.uk

facebook.com/AoS.GB

@Apostleshipsea

Flickr.com/photos/apostleshipofthesea

North P&I Club is a leading marine mutual liability insurer based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne with regional offices in Greece, China (Hong Kong and Shanghai), Japan and Singapore.

www.nepia.com

+44 (0) 191 232 5221

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