Falmouth

Providing warm clothing is one of the practical ways in which AOS supports seafarers. In Great Britain, AOS has a faithful army of supporters who knit woolly hats, scarves and gloves. These are distributed by port chaplains and ship visitors.

Seafarers from Indonesia and the Philippines wearing hats knitted by AOS supporters.
Thanks to Stuart Paul, MtS ship visitor, for this photo.

 

 

 

 

 

These seafarers work on a large container ship which came into dock for repairs in Falmouth, England. Louise Carter is the AOS lay chaplain in Falmouth. She explains:

"Parishioners in Plymouth knitted the hats and I took them to the Falmouth Ecumenical Mission together with other donated clothing. The Mission was delighted and so were the seafarers.

Generally I find hats are appreciated when the weather turns nasty. Seafarers from hot countries such as the Philippines, Ghana, and Cap Verde are especially appreciative. We need a constant supply as, onboard ship, hats can become oily and torn within weeks.

Recently I visited a ship and offered some hats to crewmembers. A seafarer from Cap Verde asked for two as he had a shaved head. He wore them both at the same time!"