Portsmouth People Songs of Praise

This is Portsmouth.

The only city in the UK that can call itself an island.

You can find connections with the sea around every corner.

And, inevitably, people's lives are touched by it.

I'll be meeting some of the people

who are fascinated by the sea and its inhabitants.

And find out what it's like to have all of this on your doorstep.

This week, we meet novice sailors on board the tall ship fit for a queen.

I get to grips with some interesting sea creatures.

There's magnificent hymn singing from St Mary's Church

and songs from West End star Ramin Karimloo.

Under Henry VIII, Portsmouth became the home of the Royal Navy

and there's still a significant naval presence here.

Almost every sea vessel imaginable can be seen in the harbour.

And Portsmouth is a major ferry port to the Isle of Wight and beyond.

All our music this week has been chosen

to reflect the sea and the wonder of creation.

The first hymn is one of our most popular,

and certainly my personal favourite.

The words were inspired by the drama of a thunderstorm.

So, let's join the congregation of St Mary's Church,

together with friends from across the area,

as they sing, How Great Thou Art.

The Solent is one of the busiest

and most dangerous shipping channels to navigate in the UK.

When things go wrong, the coastguard is often the first port of call.

We co-ordinate search and rescue.

So when a mayday comes in on Channel 16,

or a 999 call

comes in, with somebody in distress,

we co-ordinate which resources,

which coastguards, lifeboats,

we are going to send to effect a rescue

or give assistance to somebody in trouble.

'I wake up in the morning, come into a job I love,

'and I thank God that I'm going to work

'and I'm going to make a difference'

to somebody's life today, and...

whatever happens during the day, we take it as it comes.

But he's in here with me. He's sitting with me

and he's helping me do the best job I possibly can.

'You can sit in the Ops room and a normal routine call will ring.

'It could be somebody asking for the weather, it could be a fisherman'

going, "I have a little bit of a problem."

When a fisherman says he's got a little bit of a problem, it's normally a rather large one.

In April this year, Karen received just such a call.

'It was a relatively quiet day and a mayday call came in

'from a fishing boat, the Seabird,

'saying that he was off'

the submarine barrier in Portsmouth and he was taking on water.

It was a rough day. About two and a half to three-metre swells.

And as soon as we saw the boat, we saw the back, the stern of the boat,

was almost underwater.

It was a case of everybody off the ship.

Because it was definitely going down.

The skipper was a bit reluctant to get off the boat.

It's his pride and joy, his livelihood. But once I spoke to him,

it was very clear that the inevitable was going to happen.

We had no choice but to leave the vessel and let it sink.

It was one of those fantastic times when everybody got off

and I don't even think the fishermen got their feet wet.

When you're out at sea and the weather's really bad

and you're on this plastic boat...

and the elements...I mean, I've been in positions

where waves have been coming over the boat when I've been sailing.

And you sit there and you go, "Well, I have to have faith in the boat.

"I have to have faith in the ability of the boat

"and I have to have faith that someone's looking after me,

"because the position I'm in right now

"isn't actually a safe place to be."

And you come out at the end of it

and everything is beautiful and calm and you go, "I survived that.

"Somebody was watching over me.

"Somebody has gone, "We'll get you back to harbour.

"You're going to be safe."

# God on high

# Hear my prayer

# In my need

# You have always been there

# He is young

# He's afraid

# Let him rest

# Heaven blessed

# Bring him home

# Bring him home

# Bring him home

# He's like the son I might have known

# If God had granted me a son

# The summers die, one by one

# How soon they fly on and on

# And I am old

# And will be gone

# Bring him peace

# Bring him joy

# He is young

# He is only a boy

# You can take

# You can give

# Let him be

# Let him live

# If I die

# Let me die

# Let him live

# Bring him home

# Bring him home

# Bring him

# Home. #

I'm passionate about the animals and nature.

The world is amazing. It's fantastic!

And you have to enjoy it and see it

and the beauty of the world!

You have to appreciate it.

A childhood fascination for sea creatures

has turned into a dream job for marine biologist Jenna MacFarlane.

I've seen the world on a microscopic level

and I know that without the little things,

the plankton, there would be no big things.

The biggest shark in the world lives just by eating little plankton.

And everything is connected. Everything is joined together.

You take one thing out of the world and you harm everything.

Science and faith go hand-in-hand for Jenna.

Through my secondary school and college years,

I was, kind of, purposeless and faithless.

And we studied something called the Krebs Cycle.

And every single element,

every electron in that cycle, has a place

and has a use and a purpose.

And I just couldn't believe that that was chance.

There's no way that was chance.

When you look at the world that humans have created,

and couldn't have created without

that little tiny cellular cycle happening,

you know that there's something greater,

something more powerful involved in this.

And that's when I started coming back to faith.

I found the science that I'd learned was utterly backed up

by the faith I had developed

and it all meshed beautifully.

And I came out of it, not many years ago,

but I came out of it happy and satisfied

and at peace and, and...

It's just...a brilliant feeling!

When it comes to beaches, some like to sunbathe, some like to paddle,

but Carol Tolfrey takes it a step further, challenging herself,

swimming, cycling and running in triathlons.

We meet here at 9:00, all get in our wetsuits.

9:30, we're in the sea.

Anything up to an hour.

It's the fellowship of going out with someone else and doing it,

which is absolutely brilliant.

I just love the sea.

It's just pure enjoyment.

You just get your head down and you swim a bit and then you come up.

So you're just really having fun. You're just like a little kid again.

There's been odd times when I've gone in there and I've thought,

"Oh, I can't do this."

And the tide might be against me.

I think that's where my faith comes in.

Because if I'm starting to think, "I don't think I can do this,"

I ask the Lord and he does help me.

Carol hasn't always been so sporty.

I was 44.

Real couch potato.

I mean, seriously, I was about two stone heavier than what I am now.

And I went to watch my son do the London Marathon.

And he finished and I said, "Oh, son, I'd love to do that."

And he said, "Oh, well, you could, Mum. You could do it."

And the following year, I did the London Marathon,

which was fabulous, really.

So, I mean, I couldn't believe it myself, but I did it.

Exercising also helped Carol through a traumatic time in her life.

My husband got ill and he developed Alzheimer's.

The thing is with Alzheimer's is that it's not sudden.

You're gradually losing them,

so I think you're grieving for two or three years before they die.

So I think all that helps you to cope, obviously,

you know what I mean, with when it actually happens.

We'd been married 44 years when he died.

And obviously, that's a huge chunk out of your life.

I had just started triathlon leading up to him dying.

I think because I needed to do something.

I was visiting him every day in the hospital where he was.

Then in my spare time, I was doing triathlon.

That helps you, doesn't it? You know, this is the thing.

Um...I just like to think now he'd be pleased seeing me do all this.

I hope that I'm going to carry on for quite a few more years, really.

The tall ship Tenacious took pride of place on the River Thames

at this year's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

The ship gives people of all backgrounds and abilities

the chance to experience sailing first hand.

We invite people to come on board, some of whom, sometimes,

haven't stepped foot outside of their flat or their houses

for a long time.

Perhaps because of their disability.

We show them here that there is a community that they can be part of,

there's a challenging job that they can do

and there is an amazing objective,

which is to sail this ship across the seas.

Everyone takes turns helming, steering, keeping lookout.

When we set sails and we brace the yards or tack,

everyone is involved. It actually needs everyone.

There's actually a lot of rope to pull on and there's a lot to do.

All together!

I get a lot of enjoyment out of it and there's no restrictions,

like there is in real life.

Although I can't do a lot of things,

I've never been made to feel that I can't.

I always give it a go on everything.

Everybody is equal on the boat.

The highlight, I think, for me, was climbing the rigging.

Because it took me out of my comfort zone. But I had to do it.

And I was quite relieved to come back down. I was shaking.

The hardest part is the last bit where you go...

you're almost leaning backwards a little bit

and you go through the hatch into the platform.

Once you're through there, it's fantastic.

The sea is a phenomenal place.

It's a place to be inspired by,

it's a place to be frightened in,

it's a place to be challenged in

and it's a place to achieve in.

The sea is an amazing environment

where you can learn the most amazing skills,

make the most amazing friends.

And that's what people get out of a voyage.

Before joining the Jubilee Sailing Trust,

Alex was a commander in the Royal Navy.

For me to come from one career at sea

and great big steel ships

to come to another career being associated with the sea,

moves me a lot more deeply than anything ever has done.

Um... God has played a powerful part in my life

through challenge, through loss.

And actually, you cannot come to sea on a voyage

and not see his hand at work

in the faces of the people who sail with us,

in the storms that the ships go through,

in the welcome that we get from ports wherever we visit,

and in the friendships that are formed. He's there in all of that.

We thank you for the sea and the many ways we have to enjoy it.

For leisure and holidays, for fun on the beach.

For the variety of creatures

that live within the oceans or surrounding it.

May we learn to look after them and protect them.

Watch over those who sail upon the waters and keep them safe.

And guide all who work to bring help in times of danger.

Amen.

# Above all powers

# Above all kings

# Above all nature

# And all created things

# Above all wisdom

# And all the ways of man

# You were here before the world began

# Above all kingdoms

# Above all thrones

# Above all wonders the world has ever known

# Above all wealth

# And treasures of the earth

# There's no way to measure what you're worth

# Crucified

# Laid behind the stone

# You lived to die

# Rejected and alone

# Like a rose, trampled on the ground

# You took the fall

# And thought of me

# Above all

# Crucified

# Laid behind the stone

# You lived to die

# Rejected and alone

# Like a rose, trampled on the ground

# You took the fall

# Thought of me

# Above all

# Like a rose, trampled on the ground

# You took the fall

# Thought of me

# Above all. #

Overlooking the harbour is Portsmouth's newest attraction,

the sail-shaped Spinnaker Tower.

From up here, there are fabulous views

across the whole island of Portsmouth

and over the Solent to the Isle of Wight.

Time for one final hymn from St Mary's Church.

It's the uplifting, Crown Him With Many Crowns.

Next time, Eamonn explores the great outdoors in County Antrim,

where he meets up with surfers, bikers and rugby players

who like to pray as hard as they play.

Great music from Keith and Kristyn Getty and the Rend Collective

and uplifting hymn-singing

from the congregation gathered in St Killian's College Chapel.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd