Our impact
Thanks to our supporters, since the establishment of the Merchant Navy Fund in 2012, we raised £850,000 in donations and awarded over £850,000 to date to support UK serving or retired MN seafarers in need and their families.
In 2024, we have awarded £106,000 across four grants to four delivery partner organisations, supporting over 250 merchant seafarers:
- £50,000 to Tyne Mariners’ Benevolent Institution Funding towards renovations at retired seafarers’ accommodation in North Shields, Tynemouth to meet new fire regulations and fix leaking roofs. This will not only increase the safety of the 25 residents by reducing the risk of fire but also increase their wellbeing by making the home no longer subject to damp of water ingress.
- £25,000 to Sailors' Children's Society to support children and young people from Merchant Navy families on low incomes to help with essentials such as school uniforms, winter clothes, educational equipment and more.
- £13,200 to Age UK Wirral to support the wellbeing of residents at Mariners Park, Wallasey through assisting older resident seafarers to utilise IT to maintain connections with family and friends.
- £2,220 to South Atlantic Medal Association 1982 to partially fund a weekend commemorating the 40-year anniversary of the Falklands conflict in June 2022.
- £1,600 to Not Forgotten Association to provide entertainment and recreational events and activities for the seafaring community to combat isolation and loneliness among veterans by bringing them together to provide peer support.
'Over a decade, the Fund has raised nearly three quarters of a million pounds which has been used in a variety of ways to boost the health and wellbeing of both serving and retired seafarers' ~ Stuart Rivers, Chief Executive of the MNWB
'Sometimes I just feel like having a chat and there’s no one I can phone. Now I’ve got The Silver Line, I’ve got a whole lot of new friends and have had some lovely conversations.'
Vera, The Silver Line member, thanks to the funding from the Merchant Navy Fund
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Ways to donate
We receive no government funding, so your support is vital to the Merchant Navy seafarers and their families at times of need.
Learn moreHow we can help you
The Merchant Navy Fund does not give grants to individuals, but we work with organisations who may be able to help you.
Learn more