A Day In The Life Of: The Fishermen’s Mission’s Ali Godfrey
23rd August 2024
“By the end of this month, I will have been working for the Fishermen’s Mission for 12 years,” Ali Godfrey, director of business development and deputy CEO of the charity, told Fishing News. “It has been, and will continue to be, a blessing and privilege.”
Worthing-based Ali has more than 35 years of experience of working in the voluntary sector for a number of different charities – one of which proved pivotal for the course of her career.
“I went to work for Worthing Churches Homeless Projects, which is now called Turning Tides. That played a key role in my life, because it was an opportunity to work with people in very different circumstances to those I’d previously encountered – homelessness and addiction.
“We raised money for a new property, which was a groundbreaking project where people could live for two years while working through their addictions in a new way. It was an amazing privilege to be involved with that.”
Whilst at the charity, Ali studied for a counselling degree. “I loved every minute of the degree – but I realised I didn’t want to be a counsellor. I wanted to continue with the career I
was in, which was charitable management and fundraising.”
Following a period as director of the Restoration and Development Trust at Chichester Cathedral, Ali joined the Fishermen’s Mission in 2012, initially as director of fundraising.
“My role has grown over the years. Currently I am responsible for fundraising, PR and media, IT and digital, social media, information systems and supporter care, GDPR and compliance – and I’m also a safeguarding lead.”
Ali at St Andrew’s Dock in Hull, with members of the charity’s regional team. “We have a very strong team in Hull, as we have a very large number of clients in the area. It was great to go and speak with them and hear about their work.”
Ali’s diverse range of responsibilities ensures that no two days are the same, with her working week split between the charity’s head office near Fareham, Hampshire and her home in Worthing.
“It is safe to say that you never know what each day will bring. I’m really organised, and I’m a real list person – but even though my trusted notebook may have a list of ‘to do’ today written down, it may not pan out like that.
“During the past week I have dealt with TV enquiries for us to film interviews about access to health services for fishermen. I get a lot of requests from the media, which usually involve us finding fishermen for them to interview.
“I can’t always help with those requests, because it’s not really our role to set up TV interviews – but of course if they’re going to talk about our work then that’s good news for us, as it helps to spread the word.”
Showcasing the work of the Fishermen’s Mission is a crucial part of the charity’s fundraising strategy – and an important aspect of Ali’s role. “Raising money is a continuous priority. We don’t receive government or lottery funding, so we rely entirely on donations.
“The fundraising team work so hard to raise more than £2m each year. Team member in Cornwall Julian Waring is holding a supper next month, with Michelin-starred chef Nathan Outlaw – who is one of our vice patrons – preparing the meal.
“Together, we’ve spent some time talking about the finer details – of which there are a lot! We’re also working on ensuring the event goes ahead smoothly and is the success we are hoping for.
“In May this year, we held the first National Fishing Remembrance Day, and the events were a great success. We’ve been meeting to discuss next year’s event (11 May for your diaries!), and planning for more services than took place this year.”
Ali on a visit to Newlyn. “We are a charity which is so embedded in the industry, and because of that you have a feeling you’re part of history – but we’re also in the present, and always looking to the future to see what we need to do to make sure we’re prepared.”
Another part of Ali’s day could see her meeting potential new colleagues. “Interviewing for new team members is always exciting. Recently, I’ve been working with the IT and digital manager Hashim Alyas. We have been interviewing for a new digital engagement officer, and we are delighted to have made an appointment, who will be starting with us soon.
“Social media is absolutely vital. We need to make sure that the way we represent ourselves is true to our Christian roots and a strong reflection of our precious ethos. We find it really helpful to reach out to our active fishermen by using social media, and it has become a great way of starting conversations.”
As well as ensuring the charity’s message is effective and wide-reaching, Ali also has to keep abreast of any updates or initiatives – especially when it comes to welfare. “This week, I’ve booked a training course for myself and a couple of other team members to discuss safeguarding and working with mental health issues.
“More and more safeguarding incidents arrive on my desk to discuss with port staff that are around the mental health of our fishermen, active and former, and sometimes their families. It is a real concern for us. We don’t provide mental health services, but recognise that it is important to ‘hold on’ to these clients until we can secure help for them.”
With the end of the day approaching, Ali revisits her ‘to do’ list. “If there was something marked with a star that I really wanted to tick off, then I would try to get that done.
“I have a motto where I try to progress anything that needs to be done a little bit every day – so everything keeps moving forward.”
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This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.30 here.
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