Jim Fixed It for Apostleship of the Sea

29 May 2008

Sir Jimmy Savile has presented Apostleship of the Sea (AOS) with a cheque for £1000 as he enjoys his final cruise onboard the QE2.  The AOS are well known and supported in the Clifton Diocese for their ministry to seafarers who come to Portbury and Avonmouth near Bristol.  

Sir Jimmy is a well known TV personality and charity fundraiser who has been a regular on the QE2 for many years.  He has always enjoyed attending daily Mass on board.  The AOS provides chaplains to Cunard and other shipping lines free of charge to meet the spiritual needs of passengers and crew.  Sir Jimmy felt it was appropriate to present the cheque onboard, as it completes the link in the chain between passenger, the ship’s officers and crew, and AOS.

AOS Director of Fundraising, Sheila Bailey told cliftondiocese.com, “We are very grateful to Sir Jimmy for this generous donation.  His appreciation for the services our chaplain provides onboard is very welcome and his donation will allow us to continue providing cruise ships with chaplains.”

The AOS is a maritime welfare charity, providing practical and pastoral support to seafarers, regardless of race, colour or creed (if any).

Ninety percent of world trade is carried by ship, and some 100,000 seafarers visit British ports each year. They are commonly away from home for nine to 12 months at a time, suffering loneliness, depression and even exploitation. They also have to work in gruelling and often dangerous conditions. AOS chaplains and ship visitors welcome seafarers to our shores. They recognise them as brothers with an intrinsic human dignity which can be overlooked in the modern globalised maritime industry.