When the ships come in

Anchors and ships in glass cases are not part of the interior decor at the Seafarers Centre in Tilbury. The centre is operated by QVSR, Queen Victoria Seafarers Rest, and part of the Methodist family. When QVSR refurbished the centre, having taken it over in 2016, they asked the ships’ crews what they wanted their welfare centre to look like. With some of the sailors having been on board for months, the answer was, understandably, anything other than a ship!

Vessels in port are turned around so quickly that many crews do not have time to travel to London, just 20 miles away. The centre now resembles a “London experience” with a red telephone box, pictures of London landmarks, its own ‘Queen Vic Bar’ and even police helmets to try on for photos. “We listened to the crews and this is what they wanted,” says Julie Hobby, the manager of the QVSR London Tilbury Seafarers Centre. “Traveling the world, the seafarers want to impress their families. Those we see are often quite young. While they are not well paid but they are proud of what they do and many have studied at college for years to work on these ships.”

The port at Tilbury is vast, covering some 1000 acres and handles some 16 million tonnes of cargo each year. The landscape is industrial. “When you're in a port, you're surrounded by ships, you're smaller than them. You have to fit around what they're doing and what the company wants to do. You're not really your own person.” Says Alexander Campbell, CEO of QVSR.

The Revd Helen Cameron, President of the Methodist Conference, visited the centre in February. “I asked if I could come after I'd been to QVSR headquarters in London’s East End to give their annual lecture. I was so impressed that, rather than just be told about the work, I wanted to come to Tilbury and see for myself.”

At the centre there are 24-hour facilities alongside a small chapel. Outside a basketball court, a pitch and putt course and table tennis keep the guests busy. The centre is also the base for the port’s chaplaincy team who go on board the ships in port to meet with crew.

Down on the riverfront, Helen visited the QVSR Cruise Crew Lounge that is part of the centre’s offering to support seafarers. Located on a floating jetty at the London International Cruise Terminal at Tilbury, the same jetty where the HMT Empire Windrush landed, the centre provides a place for the crews of the cruise ships visiting London. Crew may only get a few hours on shore so the lounge provides somewhere for them to chat that is away from the ship, to contact their families in private using one of the red phone booths (communication pods) or ask for support.

The chaplaincy team regularly go on board the ships to talk with crew. This can involve a perilous walk up a gangway. “These gangways can be way up above the water. My car looks the size of a biscuit from up there. Depending on the ship and the tide, the walkways can be steep and slippery,” says chaplain Ruth Campbell.

“We go on board and listen. Sometimes we can be there to help the sailors during a crisis. We were once asked to go on board one ship to support a father whose five-year old child had died while he was at sea.”

During Covid, unvaccinated crewmembers were unable to leave their ships to prevent the risk of the disease spreading to all on board. The Seafarers Centre at Tilbury was only second to Houston, Texas for the number of vaccinations it gave to mariners. The centre arranged for 226,000 sailors to be vaccinated during the pandemic.

The Revd Helen Cameron commented about her visit, “As we drove around the port I was reminded how important the work here is. In a global world, our society is dependent on our ports.

“I was moved by how person-centered the whole project is. What they provide is a restful and welcoming space, somewhere to be quiet, reflective and to pray. Somewhere safe to ask for help and support. This is a godly place and, for me, a sacred space.”

Tilbury is one of four centres that are operated around the UK by QVSR. The other centres are in Bristol, Immingham and Felixstowe.