Annual church service for seafarers

Organised by the British and International Sailors' Society (BISS), the oldest seamen's organisation in the world, the congregation at the city's Avenue St Andrew's United Reformed Church included former merchant and Royal Navy seamen, representatives of companies based in the port

and members of Southampton's Master Mariners' Club.

The yearly service celebrates the work carried out by BISS in the port of Southampton, caring for crew members from all over the globe sailing to and from the docks.

The Mayor of Southampton, Councillor Edwina Cooke, attended the service during which BISS's Southampton port chaplain, the Rev Bill McCrea, preached the sermon and youngsters from the choir of Tanner's Brook Junior School sang for the congregation.

This year's service was particularly significant as BISS has just recently joined forces with the Apostleship of the Sea and the Mission to Seafarers to establish a new centre for seafarers in Queen's Terrace close to the city's Eastern Docks.

BISS is a national and international charity that provides relief, social welfare and spiritual support to more than one million seafarers and their families.