Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ guests and crew raise over £3,300 for The Mission to Seafarers

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ guests and crew on board Balmoral are pleased to have raised a total of £3,336.98 for The Mission to Seafarers, the international charity that provides the largest counselling and support network to seafarers around the globe, in over 260 ports in 71 countries, and offers a vital lifeline to those stranded in foreign ports.

Generous guests and crew on board Fred. Olsen’s flagship have raised this significant amount by donating their leftover foreign currency and by organising and supporting onboard fundraising initiatives, such as raffles and Sunday Service collections. Fred. Olsen’s guests and crew raised £1,091.82 during Balmoral’s 112-night 2013 ‘World Cruise’, which was donated to The Mission to Seafarers in May 2013, and donated a further £2,245.16 in July 2013.

Fred. Olsen has built a very successful partnership with The Mission since working with the charity first on board the ‘Titanic Memorial Cruise’ on Balmoral in April 2012, which commemorated the journey of the ill-fated liner R.M.S. Titanic. The Mission also played a major part on board Balmoral’s ‘World Cruise’ in Spring 2013, where its Chaplain, the Reverend Colin Still, was the subject of a popular six-part observational documentary for the BBC, ‘The Cruise: A Life At Sea’, which is airing on BBC2 until 13^th August 2013.

The Reverend Andrew Wright, Secretary General of The Mission to Seafarers, said:

“On behalf of all at The Mission to Seafarers, we are very thankful for the fantastic support from the guests and crew on board Balmoral. The collection will help us to continue to provide welfare and care to crews that are away from their families at sea.

“All the money raised by Fred. Olsen will be given directly to The Mission, which has been providing communication centres, practical support, and a friendly welcome to crews of all ranks, nationalities and beliefs around the world since 1856.”

Mike Rodwell, Managing Director of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said:

“At Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, we are very proud of the commitment shown by our guests and crew towards The Mission to Seafarers, even in these difficult economic times. This is an extremely relevant and fitting cause for our company, which is heavily dependant upon its teams of highly-skilled, highly-trained seafarers, and we are pleased to be able to show our support for The Mission in this valuable way.”

The Mission operates over 120 ‘Flying Angel’ seafarers’ rest and recovery centres around the world, which provide a ‘home-away-from-home’ for seafarers. It is at these communal meeting spots that seafarers can spend time away from the ship, use the internet and telephone facilities to get in touch with their loved ones and talk to the Mission about any concerns that they may have.