Fishermen and their families are invited to attend a one stop health and wellbeing event in Scarborough or Whitby this month

Our YOURhealth Service, The Fishermen’s Mission, and the Seafarers Hospital Society Charity have come together once again, through our award winning SeaFit initiative, to invite fishermen and their families to one stop health and wellbeing events this month.

The first event will take place in Whitby on 12 September at the Endeavour Wharf car park and the Scarborough event occurs the following day, 13 September, at the West Pier car park. The health and wellbeing events will be available between 10am and 4pm on both days.

The purpose of these events is to highlight the importance of oral hygiene and provide a wealth of health and wellbeing information to local communities, and the events occurring on 12 and 13 September are specifically focused on supporting both active and retired fishermen and their families.

We understand that due to their busy lifestyle, it can be difficult for fishermen to attend fixed appointments. It is our hope that this flexible, drop-in style service will help tackle these difficulties and get people the care they need, in a way that works for them.

Working from our mobile consultation vehicle, our qualified and friendly Health and Wellbeing Coaches are there to support patients from the local fishing community in addressing any health and wellbeing concerns. It is our goal to support fishermen with a proactive approach and to work with local partners to support people with a whole range of health improvements.

Our team will be joined on the day by the Dentaid Charity, who offer free oral hygiene check-ups and treatments using their mobile dental studio, and by partners and colleagues from Talking Therapies, Smoking Cessation, Prostate Cancer UK, and Physio services, to provide a whole host of health and social care information, advice and signposting.

In addition, the SeaFit programme aims to improve access to services which conduct the pending Marine Coastguard Agency ML5 medicals. This is a new initiative which means most fishermen are legally required to complete this medical by November, to continue to go to sea.

We are here to help you pre-book your medical. Please come along to one of the events above or call our friendly team on 01282 936900 for more information.

In Whitby, we will also be joined by a representative from SAIL, which is the Seafarers equivalent of the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Fishermen and their families are welcome to drop in without an appointment to see our friendly teams on the dates and times stated above. We look forward to seeing you there.

SeaFit is a joint initiative between Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, the Seafarers Hospital Society and The Fishermen’s Mission, which aims to deliver sustainable improvements in the health and wellbeing of fishermen and their families around the United Kingdom. Over the past 5 years, SeaFit has supported over 150 fishermen improving their physical and mental health, operating along the Northeast Coast, from Withernsea to Hartlepool.

For more information, visit: https://seahospital.org.uk/help-for-you/the-seafit-programme/