Dial up success for phone friendship groups An innovative project to tackle the problem of social isolation among retired seafarers has enjoyed outstanding success since its launch in June 2009. Seafarers Link uses the technology of telephone conferencing to link up retired members of the Maritime Community*, giving them the opportunity to exchange stories, share experiences and make new friends. FOLLOWING a lifetime at sea, many former seafarers say it’s the close onboard friendships that they miss most when they retire. This in turn can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation as they struggle to adjust to life back on dry land. To try to combat this growing problem among retired seamen, the first Seafarers Link telephone friendship group was launched in Hull recently. Seafarers Link is free to those wishing to participate and allows up to eight people to link up on the telephone every two
“Seafarers Link has revitalised the former seamen in the group.” weeks for up to an hour. The Maritime Charities Funding Group funds the project and the UK’s only telephone charity, Community Network, provides the telephone conferencing facilities. To ensure the calls are varied, interesting and enjoyable, Community Network also provides free training in how to conduct telephone social groups to one member from each group.
Issue 18 December 2010
Building on the success of the Hull group, a second group has been established in the city for women seafarers and, subsequently, further groups have been set up in Cardiff and on Merseyside. It is hoped that more groups will be formed in the coming months so new members are very welcome. Earlier this year, the project received official recognition when Seafarers Link won the BT sponsored THA (The Helpline Association) 2010 Award for the Most Innovative Use of Technology in Delivering a Helpline Service. But the most powerful endorsement of the project comes from one of its members. Dave O’Connor spent 50 years at sea as a deep-sea arctic fisherman and captain in the merchant service. Now
retired, he runs the Hull group and is in no doubt of the benefits it brings. “Seafarers Link has revitalised the former seamen in the group. We swap stories about the ships on which we served and the adventures we had,” he said. “We even meet up occasionally.”
Contacts For more information about Seafarers Link or how telephone befriending groups can offer help and friendship to veterans, please call Community Network on 0845 619 9992. Editors Note: *This includes veterans of both the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy.
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