July 2026 - THE MISSION TO SEAFARERS
The Mission to Seafarers supports the men and women working at sea. Seafarers Centres, spread across 50 countries, aim to provide Seafarers with:
• Access to WiFi Internet and SIM cards
• A comfortable place to rest and relax
• The chance to get food and toiletries
• Transport to shops and local amenities
And it’s not just practical support the Mission offers. Seafarers need emotional and frequently spiritual support too.
That’s why the mission has a large network of ordained Port Chaplains who come on board ships, giving seafarers a listening ear and offering prayer, if needed. They can also connect seafarers to other organisations, or speak to them on their behalf.
The Mission to Seafarers cares for the shipping industry’s most important asset: its people.
August 2026 - PATHFINDER DOGS
Pathfinder Dogs raise and train German Shepherd Dogs as guides to blind adults in the UK.
Pathfinder Dogs qualified its first two dogs (Bonnie and Clyde) in 2010.
Why German Shepherds? The first guide dog training schools were established in Germany during World War 1, to enhance the mobility of returning veterans who were blinded in combat. The United States followed suit in 1929 with The Seeing Eye in Nashville, Tennessee (relocated in 1931 to Morristown, New Jersey). One of the founders of The Seeing Eye was America’s first guide dog owner, Nashville resident Morris Frank. Frank was trained with Buddy, a German Shepherd in Switzerland in 1928.
Did you know that the first guide dogs in Great Britain were German Shepherds? Three of these first were Judy, Meta, and Folly, who were handed over to their new owners, veterans blinded in World War I, on 6 October 1931. Judy’s new owner was Musgrave Frankland.
So why are Pathfinder Dogs using German Shepherds as guides? As you’ve read, at one time the German Shepherd Dog was the breed chosen exclusively to be used as the first guide dog. In recent years, Labradors and Golden Retrievers have been more widely used for this work, although there are still German Shepherds being trained throughout the world. Pathfinder Dogs believe the German Shepherd is still the ultimate breed for the job. A versatile breed, they excel in this field due to their strong sense of duty and strong work ethic, their mental abilities, their fearlessness, and their attachment and loyalty to their owner.
September 2026 - HOPE AND SOUL TANZANIA
In 2022 it was estimated that still 44% of families in Tanzania were living in extreme poverty (UNICEF), we witness families and children in uttermost need on a daily basis within our encompassing area of provision in Arusha district alone.
Hope & Soul’s work started with a strong focus on supporting street children and has developed into holistic family support with a recognition of prevention over treatment outcomes. To holistically support a loving family unit, ultimately avoid children ever having to reach the harsh streets or be placed into an orphanage facility due to poverty, is something it strives for.
Hope and Soul equally recognises and supports a number of children and young people who are unable to remain in an unsafe home environment and advocates and provides for their equal opportunities, hoping to break the cycle of generational poverty and trauma.
In Tanzania deprivation and poverty rates are highest among children 5-13 and 14-17 years of age (UNICEF) and as a charity Hope & Soul sets a strong focus on children obtaining quality education by providing the tools and resources for children and young people from all backgrounds to focus on their education and building a brighter future.
