Helping Hayling RNLI to save lives at sea with advice on water safety

Hayling Island lifeboat crew are dedicated to saving lives at sea, but beyond the work that happens on the lifeboats there are other volunteers at the station that play an active and important part as well. Educating people about water safety is fundamental to saving lives, and is a core part of the RNLI’s prevention work. Linda Munro is Visits Officer and Water Safety Presenter for Hayling Lifeboats and has been part of the station and community for around 13 years now. Linda’s husband was part of the shore crew at Hayling in 2010 and the Education Officer position became available at that time, so she took on the role and has never looked back.

Each year Linda visits schools and clubs to deliver safety presentations, as well as hosting schools, Scouts, Beavers, Guides and other groups, at the Lifeboat station. She also attends various events throughout the year, offering life jacket checks and free advice. She attends yacht club and lifeboat open days, sailing club ‘ladies days’ and more recently had a stand with other RNLI Water Safety colleagues at the 2023 Formula Kite European Championships at Eastney Beach, Portsmouth.

She presents safety advice to beach-goers, swimmers, paddleboarders, kayakers, kite surfers and anyone in between - with audiences ranging from four years old to 90 years old! She said “It’s fundamentally about helping people to have fun safely, giving them advice so they can stay safe while enjoying the sea and the beach. Even those who are experienced on the water can often benefit from reminders of the simple messages – that could potentially result in saving their life should they get into difficulties in the water, especially getting everyone to realise the importance of the RNLI message of Float to Live” ( www.rnli.org/safety/float )

When groups visit the lifeboat station, they hear some of the history of the RNLI and Hayling Lifeboats, and Linda also arranges for crew members to demonstrate what happens when the pager goes off, so the visitors get to see what goes on behind the scenes. She says ‘I think it adds real value - and makes the safety messages more powerful - when people see for themselves what’s involved. They hear how the reality is that crew members could be sitting having dinner with their family one moment, and a few minutes later be changing into their dry suits and preparing to launch the boat into a choppy sea in the dark.”

Any group can request to visit the Lifeboat Station (or request a visit from an RNLI water safety volunteer) and there’s no better way to learn how to keep yourself and others safe in, on and around the water, than to engage them with the work of the RNLI. So whether a watersports club looking for advice on safety procedures, or a group of young people who want to learn about getting ‘water smart’, please get in touch if you are interested in arranging a visit: [email protected]

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that 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 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. 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 146,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.