by Keith Dickson - Newlyn Mission Superintendent  

Let me help  you to understand a bit about the Mission men themselves.  Mission men are in the job because of a deep seated desire to help their fellow man or woman.  They are at their happiest when they are fulfilling that desire and the unhappiest when that desire is frustrated.  Many Mission men would tell you that perhaps the only reason they continue to serve in the Mission is that at the end of most days, despite its frustrations and catalogue of disasters they can console themselves with the thought that today the Mission made a difference to someone’s life and someone’s life was made better for the Mission being there.

So this begs the question how does the Mission make a difference?

Perhaps one way to see the difference the Mission makes is to look at the statistics that HQ insists we compile so carefully each year.  During the last year, from 1st November 2006 until 31st October 2007 Newlyn Mission staff carried out 148 visits to the homes of retired fishermen, widows, fishermen’s families and injured or sick fishermen themselves.  This entailed driving in excess of a thousand miles around the highways and byways of Cornwall.  Mission staff visited the local hospitals 15 times again, visiting fishermen and their families.

Over £16,500 pounds was distributed by the Mission to support those fishing families who found themselves in financial hardship during 2006 – 2007.  The grants were used for a diverse range of needs from replacing a washing machine for a fishermen’s widow left with three young children to paying for the funeral costs of a retired fisherman’s wife.  In each and every case this financial support met a need that would not have been met otherwise and brought home a message that people do care and you are not alone.

One of the highlights of the Mission year is the Christmas Cheer Deliveries.  Every year those retired fishermen, widows and their children receive a small gift and an appropriate grant from the Mission.  For many of those who the Mission supports Christmas is not a joyful time of year as it only emphasises their loss or dire financial situation.   What strikes me most each year when doing Christmas Cheer Deliveries is not people’s appreciation for the gifts but their real joy that somebody out there is thinking of them.  During the Christmas period Mission staff made 105 home visits to 136 fisher folk.  The Mission also provided Christmas presents for 14 children who have either lost their father or the family were facing severe financial hardship.

In the last year the Mission canteen served over 31,000 breakfast, lunches and snacks.  The canteen is well used by the local fishing community and is warmly thought of as the heart of Newlyn community life.  This is illustrated when you look at the 41 different organisations that use the Mission Centre as a meeting place.  Organisation such as AA, NA, Newlyn Male Voice Choir, St Peters Players, Western Training, Night Cap, Newlyn Harbour Regeneration etc.

Newlyn is not exceptional in either the range or type of care and support it offers the fishing communities it serves.  So when you multiply this care across the eleven Mission Centres and eight Welfare Offices you can see what your support means across the country and the scale of the difference it makes.

However figures are dry and it is to easy to lose sight that they tell the story of real peoples lives.  So to put some flesh on these statistical dry bones I would like to show you two examples of what difference you support made to real people.

On 31st December last year a local fisherman was attacked and seriously injured.  He was admitted to hospital and his family were summoned as he was not expected to survive the night.  This left his family, in Grimsby trying to find transport on New Years Eve so they could travel down to Cornwall to be at their fathers bedside .  They eventually used all their savings and bought a second hand car and drove the 391 miles from Grimsby to the hospital.   Mission staff met the family and after meeting with them it became apparent that although the hospital could provide accommodation near the Intensive Care Unit the family had no money even to eat and would require financial support whilst staying at the hospital.   The family visited the Mission centre regularly during their stay at the hospital and further support was given.  Perhaps most importantly they had a sympathetic ear ready to listen as they vented their anger and sorrow.  For this family there was no plan B without the support they would not have been able to stay at their father’s bedside during this traumatic and difficult time for them.

Last November Mission staff were approached by a young fisherman who was trying to return to sea after being injured aboard a local fishing boat and had spent the last twelve months recovering from his injuries. During his recuperation he had lost his home and had broken up from his long time partner.  The situation was made worse when his now ex-partner refused to allow him access to his children.  He described the last year as his “annus horribilis”, I chose not to enquire if he meant this as a joke or was misquoting the Queen.  This young fisherman had managed to get a berth aboard a local beamer but he had no oilskins as they had disappeared from the boat he had been working on shortly after his accident.  The Mission was able to provide support to buy the oilskins and equipment he needed and he went to sea the following day.  I met him on the quay a week later as his boat was landing and as I talked to him what was most evident was not his appreciation for the oilskins but his hope that the coming year held promise for him. 

Your support makes a difference and I hope that you can perhaps appreciate how much of difference and to how many people.  Being a Mission man is an immense honour and privilege.  The Missions work is not sexy or glamorous but as each Mission man or woman can testify it makes a difference in people’s lives.  But it only has that opportunity to make a difference because of the support of individuals such as yourselves.