Trevor’s Story: The Loveable Rogue
Trevor, a retired fisherman from the Isle of Wight, once water-skied in the Solent whilst escaping from a thirteen-buckle straitjacket! Fishing for a living was equally perilous, as Trevor explains:
“We were oyster dredging when the dredges got caught on the seabed. The action of the boat winch tugged us in a different direction, and we began tipping over. We readied ourselves to abandon ship when the skipper, who had been thrown to the deck, knocked the winch out of gear. Miraculously, the boat righted itself with seconds to spare.
Oyster fishing was very competitive, with boats vying for the same catch. However, if a boat got into trouble, the others would drop everything to help. We were a family of our own – always supporting each other.
I stopped fishing when my eyesight failed, and I’m now registered blind. For a while, life was tough, and I lived in a mobile home. Eventually, I got a flat, and the Fishermen’s Mission was brilliant at getting the essentials I needed to turn that sparse flat into my own comfy home.
I struggle with mobility and spend a lot of time in my chair at home. That chair has seen better days, and the Port Staff of the Fishermen’s Mission are arranging a replacement. Their impact on my life is much more than just a few bits of furniture. It can get very lonely here, stuck indoors all day.
Hayley Hamlett from the Fishermen’s Mission is a lifeline for me. She regularly calls to check how things are and has put me in touch with some old fishing boys like me who are on their own at home. We now regularly call each other – just like the old days at sea, one fisherman looking after another when times are tough.”
At the Fishermen’s Mission we know that loneliness has a devastating effect on health and wellbeing.
Your support means we can help people like Trevor who have lived extraordinary lives but now need a helping hand.
