As we all head into the festive period I’ve found a bit of time to consider our plans for further success at the Maritime Charities Group (MCG) and how we can build on the great work that our members and networks do to achieve the greatest impact for seafarers and their families.
For us it’s all about collaboration and partnership. We want to use this approach to strengthen the maritime charity sector and better understand the current and future challenges to seafaring, the potential impact on seafarers - and to promote the importance of effective and relevant education and welfare interventions. For this we need to both strengthen the evidence base with which we all work, and to make better use of our connections with the maritime industry.
The MCG has already started some of this work. We’re commissioning a significant piece of demographics research to help create a best estimate of the welfare needs of the seafaring community and use it to plan our services. We will share this with everyone so that together we can address the issues of common concern.
Merry Christmas to all that celebrate it and wishing everyone a very happy 2024!
Dr Tim Slingsby, MCG Chair