Aled Jones to interview Sailors’ Society Principal Chaplain on BBC Radio 2

06.07.09 Sea Sunday interview and prayer with Aled Jones Revd David Potterton, Principal Chaplain of international seafarers’ charity, Sailors’ Society, will be a guest on Aled Jones’ popular BBC Radio 2 programme on Sea Sunday, 12 July. David is thrilled about the prospect of appearing live on the Aled Jones Show and to talking with Aled about his work and about the importance of Sea Sunday., a key event in the maritime calendar. He will also be leading a specially-commissioned prayer, written by popular Christian author and speaker, Adrian Plass. David said: “I am very honoured to be featuring on Aled Jones’ programme, particularly on such an important day for the shipping and wider marine community. I will be remembering the sacrifices so many seafarers have made in the past, as well as speaking about the work the Sailors’ Society carries out to help current seafarers. “Our encouragement to you on Sea Sunday is to remember seafarers and to thank them of the part they play in all our lives. With 95% of our goods being transported by sea everyone in the UK depends upon seafarers for almost everything they buy – goods as well as fuels. As an island nation we sometimes forget this invisible workforce which plays such an important part of our daily lives and in the economy of the country. Seafarers spend up to 12 months away from their own families, with just the occasional phone or internet communication, relying on organisations such as the Sailors’ Society to transport them to local facilities or to provide them with sim or phone cards. The Sailors’ Society’s Port Chaplains across the world, offer spiritual and practical advice for seafarers in times of extraordinary need and loneliness. Our work is varied and much appreciated and I look forward to speaking to a wider audience about some of our experiences and plans for the future.” Sea Sunday services and talks are being held around the UK on the 12th July. Please contact the Sailors’ Society for more information. David Potterton can be heard talking to Aled Jones on BBC Radio 2 on Sea Sunday, 12 July 2009 from 7.30am. Ends Words: 236 Notes to Editors: The Sailors' Society is an inter-denominational charity which replaces isolation with belonging amongst seafarers throughout the world. Through a network of Port Chaplains and Seafarers’ Centres, operating in 30 countries in almost 100 Ports, the Society aims to enhance and enrich the lives of the 1.2million seafarers who often lead dangerous and lonely lives at sea, many miles from home. The Port Chaplains visit thousands of ships every year, directly addressing the needs of seafarers - irrespective of a person’s belief or nationality. A reassuring presence for both current and retired seafarers and their families, the Society offers practical help, which can be as little as the resource to contact loved ones after months away, to spiritual assistance and counselling in times of need. Port Chaplains focus on improving the quality of seafarers’ lives, as well as maintaining vital links within the Ports that they operate. For more information, please visit www.sailors-society.org, or contact Debbie Osborne at Logical Creative Marketing on: 0845 345 69 69 or email: debbie@lcm.co.uk