THE Fishermen’s Mission provides care for the fishing community and their families, especially in times of tragedy and hardship. The organisation has worked with fishermen in the ports of Ardglass, Portavogie and Kilkeel.
The Mission has just received a £1,000 Community Award from Progressive Building Society, the largest locally-owned mortgage lender in Northern Ireland. The money will go towards the purchase of fifty buoyancy suits for fishermen, initially to those who are working on one-man boats. The presentation to Alex Slater, the retiring Superintendent of the Fishermen’s Mission based at Kilkeel, by progressive Ards branch manager Lyn Crawford, took place at Kilkeel harbour. [caption id="attachment_20947" align="alignleft" width="267" caption="Pictured at the presentation of the Award at Kilkeel harbour from Lyn Crawford, centre, Ards Branch Manger for Progressive Building Society is Alex Slater, the retiring Senior Superintendent and his wife Trish who has been a volunteer."]
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Six organisations, all committed to working for the benefit of their local communities, received support totalling £5400 in this, the nineteenth round of Progressive’s Community Award Scheme.
Members of the Society who wish to nominate a community group for consideration for a future award should contact their local branch of the Progressive Building Society.
The Community Awards are issued twice a year.
The Fishermen’s Mission provides pastoral care for the fishing industry. Many foreign fishermen have benefitted from the Mission over the past few years from receiving moral support as well as creature comforts and a place to meet and socialise within the fishing communities.
The Mission in the UK provides 24/7/365 support to the fishiing communities, and often engages in a wide range of issues from dealing with debt problems of fishermen to general welfare issues. And at times of tragedy which befalls the fishing industry from time to time, Alec Slater was one of the superintendents who comforted the families deeply affected by their great loss. He has now retired from his post and moved over to England.]]>
