Byline: RNLI lifeboat crews and lifeguards ready for busy bank holiday weekend as Coastguard strike looms

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Come rain or shine, the August bank holiday is one of the busiest weekends of the year for the RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crew members and lifeguards. This year, despite renewed strike action by HM Coastguard members, it will be business as usual for the charity’s lifeboat crews and lifeguards.
 
Last August bank holiday weekend, the RNLI launched lifeboats 230 times to those in danger at sea, while RNLI lifeguards responded to 819 incidents on busy beaches.

This year, the charity’s crews and lifeguards are preparing for another busy time despite further HM Coastguard strike action. The RNLI lifesaving charity is independent of the Government and HM Coastguard and is operating normally.

RNLI Chief Executive Andrew Freemantle CBE is concerned that the strike action could affect lifeboat launching:

‘Anything that causes a break in the communications chain between those requiring assistance at sea, HM Coastguard and the rescue resources – in our case RNLI lifeboats – could potentially put lives at risk. Therefore we are monitoring the situation closely and liaising with the coastguard over their contingency plans. The RNLI responds to 9 out of 10 maritime emergency calls requiring lifeboats and, in the light of continuing industrial action, and to minimise the potential effect of any delay in emergency communication, the RNLI is reviewing its options regarding launching its lifeboats to maritime emergencies.’

Freemantle is also keen to ensure that the public are clear that RNLI lifeboats and lifeguards will not be on strike this weekend:

‘There is still some confusion in the minds of the public over the respective roles of the RNLI and the Coastguard. The RNLI’s charitable UK lifeboat service is provided entirely through the public’s generosity, unlike the Coastguard which is government-funded. If people think our lifeboat crews are part of the strike then there is a real possibility that they will not support our charity in the future.’

As the weekend approaches, following recent tragic incidents around the coast, RNLI National Beach Safety Manager Steve Wills is concerned that the public are still not taking safety warnings seriously enough:

‘Too many families and friends have had to face the harrowing task of coming to terms with the loss of a loved one on the coast this summer, some of these could have been avoided if people took safety seriously; but RNLI research shows that less than ten per cent of people consider safety when choosing a beach to swim at.

‘The unpredictable nature of the weather is unlikely to deter avid beach-goers and sea-farers from going to the beach and using the water this weekend so it’s even more important that they swim at lifeguarded beaches. We are also very concerned at the increasing numbers of people tombstoning, especially when under the influence of alcohol. We don’t recommend tombstoning under any circumstances, but our advice is if you do is to always check the depth first and never jump or dive if you are unsure of what’s under the surface of the water. It’s important to remember that the depth of the water can alter quickly with a changing tide.

‘The August bank holiday weekend is always a busy one for us. If you’re on the coast or at sea please make safety a priority, follow our safety tips and have a great weekend.’

Beach safety tips:
1. Always swim at a lifeguarded beach and between the red and yellow flags
2. Never swim under the influence of alcohol or drugs
3. Always supervise children and never let them play in the water alone
4. If you get into trouble, stick your hand in the air and shout for help
5. If you see someone else in trouble, tell a lifeguard. If you can’t see a lifeguard, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard

Sea Safety tips:
1. Wear a lifejacket
2. Check your engine and fuel
3. Tell others where you are going
4. Carry some means of calling for help
5. Keep an eye on weather and tides

Notes to editors / picture desks / news desks:

· During previous strike action, there have been instances of media reports confusing the respective roles of the RNLI and HM Coastguard. This is particularly damaging to the reputation of the RNLI, a charity, which is reliant upon donations to support its volunteer lifeboat crews and its lifeguards to save lives at sea.

· Please ensure that any images use in relation to the HM Coastguard strike threat do not portray RNLI lifeboats in a way that suggests RNLI lifeboat crews are taking part in the strike action.

· HM Coastguard has a statutory responsibility for coordinating search and rescue (SAR) around the coastline of the UK. HM Coastguard decides which resources are needed for a search and rescue incident and requests lifeboats to launch – RNLI volunteer crews respond to that request by launching lifeboats and carrying out search and rescue at sea.

· Two photos are attached: One of an RNLI Tamar class all-weather lifeboat (please credit Nicholas Leach) and another of an RNLI lifeguard (please credit Greg Spray).

· For video footage of RNLI lifeboats and lifeguards, visit the following links to the RNLI’s official YouTube site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehTyqCQ5mI0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afC96imL9Cs

RNLI media contacts
For more information please telephone the RNLI Public Relations office on 01202 336789 or email pressoffice@rnli.org.uk.
 
RNLI online
For more information on the RNLI please visit www.rnli.org.uk. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI Press Centre www.rnli.org.uk/press

Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates over 230 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and has more than 100 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824 its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 137,000 lives. The RNLI is a charity registered in England, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.

Byline: The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, paid a special call to Courtmacsherry RNLI lifeboat station during an official visit to the Cork village over the bank holiday weekend.

Page Content: The President was accompanied by his wife Sabina and the couple spent some time viewing the historical exhibition in the lifeboat station before unveiling a plaque on the lifeboat station’s wall to commemorate the visit.  The President and Mrs Higgins then walked through the village where the President addressed the crowds that had gathered in the sunshine on the main street.

President Higgins and Mrs Higgins first stop on arriving in the village was the stone lifeboat station in the middle of the main street which overlooks the harbour and the lifeboat. There he was greeted by Michele O ’Dwyer, Chairperson of the Courtmacsherry fundraising Branch, Barry Flynn, lifeboat station co-ordinator, Coxswain Sean O’Farrell, Lifeboat Mechanic Stuart Russell and Deputy Launching Authority Diarmuid Mahony.  They met with the Courtmacsherry RNLI volunteers, station management and former Coxswain and bronze medal awardee Dan O ‘Dwyer before viewing the lifeboat exhibition in the station and signing the visitor’s book.
 
The Presidential couple viewed documents and photographs from the sinking of the Lusitania when the Courtmacsherry lifeboat launched with the crew rowing for over three hours in a desperate bid to reach survivors from the torpedoed vessel off the Old Head of Kinsale, Co Cork. They also learned of the lifeboats role in the search and rescue operation following the Fastnet Race tragedy of 1979 where fifteen sailors lost their lives. The Courtmacsherry lifeboat was among of group of RNLI lifeboats which spent 75 hours at sea in 60 knot winds.

Welcoming the President to Courtmacsherry, Courtmachserry RNLI Fundraising Chairperson Michele O’Dwyer said, “We could not have a more distinguished guest.  This is a historic day for our village.  Courmachserry lifeboat station has a long and distinguished history, being one of the first established stations in 1825.  It is my privilege on behalf of Courtmacsherry lifeboat station and the surrounding area of Barryroe to formally welcome the President of Ireland Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina to Courtmacsherry.

The President then spoke to the crowds gathered in the sunshine and paid tribute to the lifeboat volunteers and the community, “The Courtmacsherry lifeboat service has a long and proud history that stretches back almost two hundred years. There is something extraordinary about both the great promise and the great threat of the sea but even more so by the lives of those who have to deal with it and those in particular who have to use their skill and patience and every characteristic of the human spirit to actually address the position of those who are in difficulties.

Courtmacsherry has had a relationship with the sea that has always called forth the greatest examples of heroism and courage but also practicality and preparation to be able to be of assistance. To be of assistance you have to have so many different characteristics.

I think that today in Ireland we must always look and take example and strength from those who give us the greatest examples.  I think it is uplifting that in this place that demonstrates so strongly what community means, a lifeboat is here and the community stands behind that lifeboat.”

The Courtmacsherry exhibition had a strong emphasis on the lifeboat and its crew with most families in the village having had loved ones serving as volunteer lifeboat crew since 1825. To mark the occasion of the visit of the President and Mrs Higgins, two presentations were made.  The first was a piece of sculpture which was presented to President Higgins by volunteer lifeboat crewmember Gearóid O’Donovan, whose grandfather Jack was also a lifeboat volunteer. The piece was called ´circle of friends` and was made by local woman Gillian Noonan.  It was to represent the gathering of people in Courtmacsherry for this special occasion and was presented on a wooden plinth turned from local wood by Barry Flynn.  Courtmacsherry RNLI fundraiser Martha Drake also presented a bouquet of flowers to Mrs Higgins.

Hundreds of people lined the street in the good weather and the President and Mrs Higgins stayed behind to meet with many of the well-wishers. 

Ends

Note for editors:
Photos are available please credit Provision/Mike MacSweeney
RNLI media contacts
For more information please telephone Niamh Stephenson RNLI Public Relations Manager on 087 1254 124 or 01 8900 460 email Niamh_Stephenson@rnli.org.uk or Nuala McAloon RNLI Press Officer Tel: 087 6483547 or contact RNLI Public Relations on 01202 336789
For press queries regarding President Higgins please contact Áras an Uachtaráin Press Office Tel: 01-617 1000

Byline: RNLI to host seminar series at Southampton Boat Show

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The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) will be celebrating its attendance at the 40th Southampton Boat Show (12 – 21 September 2008) with its biggest ever presence at the show. The charity that saves lives at sea will, for the first time, host a series of seminars for leisure boaters in partnership with the RYA, Sea Start and Helly Hansen; as well as giving show visitors the chance to experience the RNLI’s virtual lifeboat training experience on stand B73, a free lifejacket clinic on stand C9 and the opportunity to get on board an RNLI all-weather lifeboat in the marina (berth 61).

The four RNLI seminars will offer leisure boaters a ‘bite-sized’ twenty minute look at subjects ranging from lifejackets and taking a boat on a cross-channel passage to diesel engines and also a light-hearted look at stylish survival at sea – the latest fashion and clothing technologies for men and women on the water.

The RNLI seminars will be supported by the Royal Yachting Association, Sea Start and Helly Hansen who have each put forward expert presenters to talk on the respective subjects of boating abroad (RYA), diesel engine maintenance (Sea Start) and stylish survival at sea (Helly Hansen).

RNLI sea safety volunteers will present the seminar on lifejackets, a subject that is a major focus for RNLI sea safety as it works to encourage more leisure boaters to automatically put a lifejacket on when they go to sea and then decide whether they should take it off. This stance forms the key element of the RNLI’s ‘Useless unless worn’ lifejacket awareness campaign.

Commenting on the new seminar series RNLI Marketing Manager, Richard Devereux says:

‘The RNLI seminar series has been created for those who enjoy having serious fun on the water and is open to all who attend the Southampton Boat Show. The twenty-minute seminars will provide a practical look at subjects ranging from lifejackets to ladies nautical fashion. We’re delighted to be working in partnership with the RYA, Sea Start and Helly Hansen and thank them for their time and commitment to our first seminar series.’

All are welcome to attend the RNLI Sea Safety Seminars but there are limited places, however each seminar topic will run twice a day at the Holiday Inn Lounge, Southampton Boat Show at the following times every day of the show:

11am – 11:20am & 2:20pm – 2:40pm – Lifejackets: sink or swim?
What to buy, how to fit and how to maintain

11:40am – 12pm & 3:00pm – 3:20pm – Adventuring abroad?
How to plan, what you need and what to take – in partnership with the RYA

12:20pm – 12:40pm & 3:40pm – 4:00pm – Suck, squeeze, bang, blow…
How to maintain your diesel engine, how to avoid breakdowns and what spares to take with you – in partnership with Sea Start

1pm – 1:20pm & 4:20pm – 4:40pm – One for the ladies….
Stylish survival at sea!

RNLI sea safety volunteers will be on stand C9 throughout the course of the show to provide a range of free sea safety advice, answer any queries or questions from the RNLI seminars and FREE lifejacket clinics will be available by popular demand. An RNLI Atlantic 75 in-shore lifeboat will feature on stand C9 and there will be the opportunity to talk to volunteer lifeboat crew about their lifesaving roles at the 24/7 marine search and rescue charity.

The RNLI membership team will also be on hand on stand C9 to answer queries from any existing supporters and to sign up new ones. Joining the RNLI costs from just over £5 per month and provides a range of features to help keep you safe on the water. Special incentives are provided for those signing up at the show.

The RNLI’s main stand (B73) will be located in the heart of the chandlery zone for the first time this year and, as well as the chance to experience the RNLI’s virtual lifeboat training experience the RNLI education team will be on hand daily to help inspire the next generation of RNLI supporters and volunteers. If it’s retail therapy you’re after then there will be plenty of RNLI goodies, perfect presents for friends and family – including Christmas cards for those organised shoppers!

Experience RNLI all-weather and inshore lifeboats afloat by visiting berth 61 in the Hydropool Marina.

Notes to editors
The RNLI at Southampton Boat Show 2008:

• Holiday Inn – The four RNLI Hosted Seminars each run twice daily throughout the show from 11am – 16:40 at the Holiday Inn.
• Stand B73 – As a charity, the RNLI relies on your support to provide a 24/7 marine search and rescue service that saves lives at sea. Find out more about the work of our volunteer lifeboat crews and come on board the new RNLI Lifeboat Training Experience and witness a rescue from the eyes of a volunteer crew member. Your experience will help support the RNLI’s ‘Train One, Save Many’ campaign to fund training for our volunteer lifeboat crew.
• Stand C9 – RNLI sea safety volunteers will be on hand to provide a range of free sea safety advice including: lifejacket clinics – by popular demand throughout the day.
• Experience RNLI lifeboats on the water by visiting berth 61 – Atlantic 85 inshore and an all-weather lifeboat

RNLI media contacts For more information please telephone Katie Wilton, RNLI Public Relations Officer on 01202 336789 or kwilton@rnli.org.uk / pressoffice@rnli.org.uk

RNLI online
For more information on the RNLI please visit www.rnli.org.uk. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI Press Centre www.rnli.org.uk/press

Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates over 230 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and has more than 100 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824 its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 137,000 lives. The RNLI is a charity registered in England, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.

Byline: Ocean Safety gets on board the RNLI’s Ambassador Scheme

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Ocean Safety – specialists in the supply and service of marine safety equipment – announced their support for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution by joining the charity’s Ambassador Scheme at the opening day of Southampton Boat Show (Friday 12 September).

The RNLI’s Ambassador Scheme was set-up in 2006 to promote RNLI Offshore membership for recreational sea users and to enhance the marine search and rescue charity’s links within the marine industry.

As an RNLI Ambassador Ocean Safety will be offering a year’s complimentary RNLI membership with the purchase of a top end product, such as an Ocean ISO liferaft, ACR EPIRB or a Jonbuoy Recovery Module. To further encourage the purchase of appropriate man overboard and lifesaving equipment, voucher schemes will be run in the RNLI Offshore magazine throughout the year, offering product promotions, combined with vital advice for sea users.

Commenting on their new partnership with the RNLI, Charlie Mill of Ocean Safety says:

‘We are a long time and active supporter of the great work, which the RNLI carry out in terms of education, as well as their crucial role in saving lives at sea. Our respect for the volunteer crews around the coast on call on a daily basis, often in the most atrocious weather, is enormous. We welcome this opportunity to work with the RNLI to provide greater awareness of the importance of using the appropriate safety products for each type and area of water use.’

David Brann, RNLI Fundraising and Communication Director says:

We welcome Ocean Safety to the RNLI’s Ambassador Scheme. As a charity the RNLI depends on voluntary contributions and legacies for its income, so support from both industry and the public through RNLI membership is absolutely crucial. I am grateful to Ocean Safety for joining the growing collection of companies that are demonstrating their appreciation of the life-saving work of our volunteer crews and the need for safety at sea in this practical way.

The RNLI’s membership is designed for all recreational sea users, from kayakers, windsurfers and jet skiers to sailors and motor boaters. It provides a range of benefits, including: a CD-ROM containing interactive educational programmes on safety at sea, the opportunity for an RNLI SEA Check, the RYA’s Diesel Engine Maintenance DVD, complimentary copies of the RNLI’s Offshore and Lifeboat magazines and of course access to Ambassador Scheme special promotions.

Notes to editors
The RNLI at Southampton Boat Show 2008:
· Holiday Inn – The four RNLI Hosted Seminars each run twice daily throughout the show from 11am – 16:40 at the Holiday Inn.
· Stand B73 – As a charity, the RNLI relies on your support to provide a 24/7 marine search and rescue service that saves lives at sea. Find out more about the work of our volunteer lifeboat crews and come on board the new RNLI Lifeboat Training Experience and witness a rescue from the eyes of a volunteer crew member. Your experience will help support the RNLI’s ‘Train One, Save Many’ campaign to fund training for our volunteer lifeboat crew.
· Stand C9 – RNLI sea safety volunteers will be on hand to provide a range of free sea safety advice including: lifejacket clinics – by popular demand throughout the day.
· Experience RNLI lifeboats on the water by visiting berth 61 – Atlantic 85 inshore and an all-weather lifeboat

Ocean Safety – specialists in the supply and service of marine safety equipment. For more information go to: www.oceansafety.com

RNLI media contacts
For more information please telephone Katie Wilton, RNLI Public Relations Officer on 01202 336789 / 07899 076 224 or kwilton@rnli.org.uk / pressoffice@rnli.org.uk

RNLI online
For more information on the RNLI please visit www.rnli.org.uk. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI Press Centre www.rnli.org.uk/press

Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates over 230 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and has more than 100 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824 its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 137,000 lives. The RNLI is a charity registered in England, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.

 

Byline: Doctor Colin McKee has retired his position of Lifeboat Medical Adviser to Eastbourne lifeboats after 37 years loyal service spanning five generations of all-weather lifeboats

Page Content: Doctor McKee first joined Eastbourne lifeboats in 1976 a few years after taking up his new medical practice in Hampden Park, and joined the crew of the slipway launched Watson class ‘Charles Dibdin’. Since then he has served on four different classes of lifeboat leading up to the current hi-tech vessel ‘Diamond Jubilee’ and has received both silver and gold awards from the RNLI to mark his loyalty and dedication. He has been instrumental in creating dedicated medical exercises and first aid procedures for the RNLI which now forms the basis of all casualty care training for lifeboat crewmen throughout the UK and Ireland.  
 
The older class boats did not have the crew comforts of modern lifeboats and Colin has many tales of cold wet nights when casualty vessels were towed to Newhaven before Sovereign Harbour was built, a journey which sometimes took as long as eight hours to complete. One thing Colin says he definitely will not miss is climbing a rope ladder in rolling seas to board a freighter in order to attend an injured crewman. One particularly harrowing experience back in the 1990’s was when the lifeboat was called to the Indian vessel ‘Vishva Parage’ to treat a sick crewman who was suffering from Malaria. The ship was running without cargo so she was sitting particularly high in the water, due to the shape of the hull the first few feet of ladder was swinging in mid air. Colin decided the casualty should be transferred to hospital via the lifeboat and was speechless for the first time in many years when the freighter lowered a gangplank for their crewman who casually walked down and stepped aboard the lifeboat, a facility that Colin noted with some dismay hadn’t been offered to him when he first boarded the vessel risking life and limb, to say nothing of his dignity!

Colin says his fondest memories will be of the fantastic crews he has served with over the years and looks forward to continuing his work for Eastbourne lifeboats in his role as Chairman of the Lifeboat Management Group.

Picture shows Dr McKee surrounded by some of the crew receiving his framed letter of thanks from the RNLI Chief Executive Paul Bossier presented at Sunday’s crew meeting by Paul Metcalfe, Operations Manager of Eastbourne lifeboats.