What We Do

Four Programmes.
One Mission.

From early-morning quayside walks to one-to-one mental wellbeing conversations, every programme we run is designed around the realities of harbour life — and the needs of the men who live it.

In Practice

A Week in the Life of Our Outreach

On any given week you will find our advocates on the quaysides, in the sheds, and around the fish market of Peterhead Harbour, talking with the men who make this port one of the most productive in Europe. We turn up in the early morning when a boat is coming in from a week at sea, during mid-shift breaks in the processing factories, and at the quiet moments when a crew member is waiting for a tide or a repair.

We carry portable blood pressure monitors, basic health information in plain language, and — most importantly — the patience to let a conversation develop at whatever pace the man in front of us needs to set. We do not diagnose, we do not prescribe, and we do not judge: we listen, we check, we inform, and we connect.

Over the years we have developed a detailed understanding of the specific health pressures that bear on men in the Peterhead fishing community — the cardiovascular risk shaped by irregular activity and a demanding physical working environment, the mental health strain of long trips and uncertain income, the musculoskeletal damage that accumulates across a working life on deck, and the particular difficulty of accessing health services when your hours are dictated by the sea and the market rather than a nine-to-five schedule.

Every aspect of our approach is designed with those realities in mind, and it is that specificity — that genuine understanding of this community and this place — that makes Vibrant Health Advocates – Apollo's work genuinely effective where more generalised health promotion has consistently fallen short.

Health advocate wrapping a blood pressure cuff around a fisherman's arm on the quayside
Hearts & Hulls — dockside
Advocate in conversation with two fishermen at the harbour
Harbour Rounds
Our Programmes

How We Reach the Harbour Community

Each programme has its own approach, but all four share the same commitment: no pressure, no paperwork, no clinical setting — just genuine human connection in the places men already are.

Harbour Rounds

Regular outreach walks across Peterhead Harbour, the fish market, and adjoining processing areas, delivered several times per week by our trained health advocates.

Our advocates follow a structured but flexible route around the working harbour, stopping to talk with deckhands, skippers, dock workers, and processing-line staff during natural breaks in the working day. Conversations are always led by the man himself — we never push, probe, or pressurise. Over time, the same faces appear week after week, and that familiarity becomes the foundation for health conversations that would not happen anywhere else. We keep brief, anonymised records of each interaction to track patterns, understand local need, and report our impact to funders and partners with evidence.

Hearts & Hulls

A structured but entirely informal cardiovascular health check programme, delivered dockside with portable equipment and no appointment needed.

Hearts & Hulls takes blood pressure readings, measures resting heart rate, and gathers basic lifestyle information from men who agree to a check — typically in under ten minutes, in a location of the man's choosing, whether that is beside a vessel, inside a quayside shed, or on the back of a crew bus waiting for the market to open. Results are explained clearly and honestly on the spot, in plain language. Men with elevated readings are supported to understand what that means and, where appropriate, helped to make a GP appointment the same day. We follow up by phone, with the man's consent, to confirm the appointment was attended.

Anchor Mental Wellbeing

A confidential, one-to-one mental wellbeing conversation service for men in the fishing community who are struggling but not yet ready for formal counselling.

Anchor is designed for the man who says he is fine but clearly is not — the skipper who has not slept properly in weeks, the young deckhand who came home from a long trip to find his relationship under strain, the older worker facing changes in the industry that feel like the ground shifting beneath him. Our advocates are trained in active listening, SAMH-aligned approaches to men's mental health, and brief motivational interviewing, enabling them to hold these conversations with genuine skill and care. When a man is ready for more structured support, we refer warmly into psychological therapies, community counselling, and peer support services across Aberdeenshire.

Pathways

A warm, supported referral service that connects men to NHS Grampian, local GP practices, and community health resources at the moment they are ready to engage.

Getting a man to agree that he needs help is only half the challenge — the other half is making sure he actually follows through. Our Pathways programme assigns a named contact to every man who agrees to a referral, helps him navigate what can feel like a bewildering system, and checks in after an appointment to ensure the connection held. We maintain close working relationships with GP practices in Peterhead and Fraserburgh, the Community Links programme at NHS Grampian, and a range of local third-sector partners. No man we work with is ever handed a leaflet and left to get on with it alone.

The Numbers Behind the Work

1,400+ Men reached at the harbour
320+ Health referrals supported
86% Had not seen a GP in two years

Come and find us at the harbour — or drop us a line

Interested in what we do, or want to support our outreach? We'd love to hear from you — whether you're a harbour employer, a community partner, or someone who wants to volunteer.

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