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A charity which supports current and former fishermen, and their families is looking to build contacts with local seafarers ahead of a visit to the Channel Islands in April.
Express digs deeper into the charity in the first of a two-parter about The Fishermen's Mission.
Hayley Hamlett from the charity will be in Guernsey for a few days towards the end of the month and she wants to meet people in the fishing community to arrange access to their services for anyone who needs it.
The Fishermen’s Mission supports active and former fishermen, sea-going staff working the in the aquaculture industry, and migrant fishermen.
Although it is a religious charity, Ms Hamlett says that does not preclude anyone from accessing its services.
“Initially, way, way back, 140 years ago, it was created as a charity taking Bibles and necessities out to the boats,” she explained.
"In those days, they lived on the boats out at sea and didn't come back so everything was taken out and given to them. The religion is still there if that's what the fishermen want from us, and quite a lot of fishermen are fairly religious anyway and superstitious, so it kind of works. I believe that religion is what each individual person wants to believe and wants to focus on. We are a multi-faith organisation, but again, fishing is a religion in its own right.
“It's about what that person wants from us. We're very much client led really in that regard, because otherwise it can get a little bit difficult for some fishermen to get past that.”
Ms Hamlett is the Mission Area Officer for the South East of England and the Channel Islands. She’s been in position since early last year and has already made one visit to Jersey.
Her background means she has an affiliation with the sea and experience in the third sector.
“I was born in Hastings, which is a fishing village, but I didn't have anything to do with fishing then because I was too young so I'm new to fishing.
“I was in the third sector for very many, many years, but nothing to do with fishing. What I have learned in this community is this feeling of belonging is embedded in them.
“When Mick (Jersey skipper Michael Michieli) lost his life (in December 2022) it rippled across the whole community, and it still is. And unfortunately, there's one tragedy a month across the fishing industry. It's the most dangerous peacetime occupation. Unfortunately, there are lots of fatalities and injuries out there."
Pictured: Boats moored off Guernsey's Fish Quay in St Peter Port.
One of the ways Ms Hamlett and the wider team at The Fishermen's Mission can support sea workers is through financial support when those tragedies occur, and sign post to other organisations for specific support that may be needed.
“But what we do is so much wider than that," she said.
"It's a lot of talking and sharing photographs. I have my dog in my office, and very often she comes and sits here, and so very often some fishermen have dogs so they all send me pictures of dogs or anything like that because they get to know that's what you like to hear. And they send me pictures of them on the boat and things like that. And that again, that's all about keeping that communication going.”
While the talking and listening is vitally important to so many people, Ms Hamlett offers support in other ways too.
Fishermen can also access medical treatment through the charity, and Ms Hamlett knows there are fishermen who need this support in the Channel Islands and she’s hoping to help them.
"When I started I was tasked with building on (past relationships with Jersey fishermen) and coming across to all of the Channel Islands, because the industry is in a in a very strange place at the moment, and also with the cost of living.
"We know that there's lots of fishermen, retired fishermen, former fishermen and fishermen's families who are struggling.
“So I came over initially during the middle of last year and met with the same people that my colleague had met with before to highlight what we do and then we came back in September to Jersey, and we brought with us a Dentaid van, which is a mobile dental unit, which has everything within it that you can possibly imagine. They do X rays, they do fillings, they do extractions, and they also do a cancer screening."
Pictured: A dental health van used by Dentaid The Dental Charity. (Image from dentaid.org)
"We brought that with us in September, and we were there for a couple of days, and we saw about 30 fishermen and family, which was fantastic. That gave us a good baseline to build on their needs and how we can support them.
"So we're now looking at the success of Jersey and I wanted to look into the other islands, and see what other fishing associations there are.
“I know that there's fishermen in all of the islands, including Alderney, and I'm trying to connect as much as I can to them to make sure they know what we can do.”
Although Ms Hamlett won’t be in Alderney next month, she’ll be in Guernsey for two days and is planning to be around the fishermen’s quay a lot of the time, including spending time at the Yacht Club so people can meet her. For anyone who can’t physically get there she can also be contacted via Whatsapp (07827 965243), email, and Facebook.
"If they prefer that kind of contact, I would be inclined to say, the best bet is to go on Facebook or message me and just say ‘hi’,” she said.
“Even if it's just ‘hi, I'm in Alderney. I'm really struggling. Is there anything you can do?’ or ‘I'm in Alderney, could you keep in touch?’.”
Pictured: Fishing boats at anchor in St Peter Port Harbour at the Fish Quay.
Ms Hamlett said her upcoming trip will open up opportunities for the Fishermen’s Mission to really help local fishermen and their families and she wants to ensure that help continues long term.
“I’ve been doing quite a lot of work on social media to spread the awareness because although I'm not based there, my office is my car so my office is wherever I am and that means that our support and our infrastructure comes with me wherever I am, and equally with Alderney and Guernsey and Jersey, if I'm not there, I can still help.”
Ms Hamlett is keen to ensure former fishermen know she is available to help them too.
“This year in April, I've got two days in Jersey and I've got two days in Guernsey. It’s to try and get anyone who wants to know more (about what The Fishermen’s Mission does) because it would help them themselves or their colleagues or their fellow fishermen, but equally it’s to try and meet as many organisations who help people in the community who may not know that we're here too.
“That includes lots of third sector charities, lots of organisations where these fishermen, these retired fishermen, fellow fishermen may go and say ‘I'm struggling’.”
Pictured: Hundreds of people work in 'agriculture, horticulture, fishing, and quarrying in Guernsey' with data not available for the individual sectors.
Ms Hamlett can be contacted in advance of her trip to Guernsey, and will also be open to meetings while she’s here.
“The biggest issue that we have is connecting to the former fishermen who are no longer at the harbour who are no longer involved in fishing and may not necessarily know that we can help them.
“The retired fisherman who may think the same. The widows of fishermen who may not think that we can help and believe it or not, the partners of fishermen who may think, ‘oh, it's just about the fishermen and not about me and the children’, and that is not the case, and that's the misconception.
“We're trying to kind of break down that and say ‘no, it's about asking for help’ and it’s very rare we say no. We can usually do something, depending on their own situation.
“I really just want Guernsey fishers to know that they can come forward, because my biggest fear is that I will organise this Dentaid van to come at great expense and nobody will come.”
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