Christian medical charity Mercy Ships has been shortlisted by BT as it continues its search for a new charity to support.

Mercy Ships, which provides provides free medical and humanitarian care in developing countries, is up against Cancer Research and the British Heart Foundation for consideration as its next charity of choice to work alongside.

BT has been supporting Child Line for 25 years and will continue to give its support to the charity, in addition to a second one.

Mercy Ships is the ministry behind the Africa Mercy, the world’s largest charity hospital ship.

The ship and its volunteer crew of surgeons, doctors, nurses and seamen sail to ports in countries where many poor people struggle without access to even basic health care.

In its 30 years of operation, the ship has called in at more than 70 countries and staff have performed thousands of life changing procedures and operations, from simple cataracts to the removal of disfiguring tumors and facial reconstruction.

Thousands more have been reached through staff going to local medical centres to offer their skills and services while the ship has been docked at port.

The winning charity will be voted for by BT's 100,000 employees and announced in September.

Judy Polkinhorn, Executive Director of Mercy Ships UK, said, “We are absolutely thrilled to be shortlisted for BT’s charity of choice. If we are chosen as BT’s second charity, it would make a considerable difference to what we can achieve next year when the ship will be docked in Sierra Leone.”