For our second after 'lunch' talk on Zoom we were pleased to welcome Colin Brown to explain the workings of the RNLI. Colin's presentation included photos, diagrams and videos throughout, so in many respects it was like watching a documentary on the computer screen but with the added advantage of being able to ask questions afterwards.
There was a lot of information to take in and if you want to know more or just to recap on what you missed don't forget to visit the RNLI website at www.rnli.org.
Interesting facts for me, in no particular order, were :-
There are four permanent stations on the Thames and last year they were called out on 850 occasions. The Lifeboat Station at Tower is manned 24hrs and had been out on the Tuesday evening before our talk! It is the busiest station in the UK.
Since its formation in 1824 the RNLI has been independent of any Government funding and they intend to stay that way. They view the demise and underfunding of the Coastguard as a warning of might happen to them. They actively support the Coastguard missions when called upon to save lives around the coast.
The RNLI not only covers the waters around the UK but also the whole of Ireland. They were established before the Irish Republic was formed and they have never been asked to leave.
The RNLI both designs and builds the boats they use. They have a modern manufacturing facility in Poole, next door to the RNLI College where all the volunteers are trained before they are allowed to set out to sea. When the College is not being used for training purposes it acts as Hotel and Function Venue. We were told that it offers excellent value overnight accommodation and has a good restaurant too. Highly recommended not just by Colin but also by Kevin Shears who uses it for bed and breakfast when visiting relatives in the area.
In addition to patrolling the seas and rivers the RNLI now provides Beach Lifeguards during the busy summer months in a wide variety of locations.
Thank you Colin for an excellent talk and thank you all the volunteers for keeping us safe in the sea and rivers in the UK and Ireland. Our Treasurer Phil has sent a donation on behalf of the Club.
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