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What do you call a bear in a lifeguard uniform?
Want to know the answer? You’ll have to ask 13-year-old Tilly, who won a competition to name RNLI Shop’s special Lifeguard Bear! Here, we chat about her love for the RNLI, her affinity for fridge magnets, and find out what inspired the clever name …
What do you love about the RNLI? We heard you're a big fan!
I'm a massive fan of the RNLI. It all started about 4 years ago when I went on a retired lifeboat in Essex. I never really realised the amazing things RNLI volunteers do, so I researched it a bit further and discovered there are thousands of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and they're not getting paid for it, which I found incredible. I didn't appreciate it before, but now I do.
You’ve visited quite a lot of stations too, haven't you?
Yes – if we go to a town by the coast, we go to the lifeboat station if we can, and I draw a picture of their lifeboat for the crew room of every station I go to. I'm working my way through all the RNLI stations. There are 238 stations, but it's okay. We'll get there. We'll do it.
I also collect a fridge magnet from every station that I visit. We may need a bigger fridge soon because I have 28 so far and I aspire to have all 238!
You've got plenty of time! And have you done any fundraising for the RNLI before?
Yes, I did the Mayday Mile last year and I raised £500. I was aiming to get enough for one pair of wellies, which is £90, but I ended up going beyond that and raised enough for five pairs!
That's amazing. And have you ever visited any of our beaches and seen our lifeguards in action?
Yes, we've visited many lifeguarded beaches. We met some lifeguards in Hastings and I asked them about my name idea for the bear and whether they thought it was a good name and they said it was.
And it was RNLI lifeguards who chose the winning name too! So, how did you come up with it?
Well, I wanted it to be a name that really summed up what RNLI lifeguards do, and I also wanted it to be related to the coast somehow. That made me think about birds, and I first thought about a kittiwake gull, which could be shortened to Kit. I also wanted it to be a name that could be any gender.
Then I thought that RNLI lifeguards rely on their kit to help them save lives and, by buying the bear, people will help to fund that kit.
Brilliant thinking! How did you feel when you found out that you'd won the competition?
I was very pleased. I was at my Granny and Gramps' house with my mum, and I ran around the house shrieking excitedly. Then I rang my dad, who was at work, and he answered the phone in a work meeting, so I got to tell him in the middle of that. He was very pleased too. And everyone in the meeting joined in with the excitement!
Would you ever want to be a lifeguard or try being volunteer crew when you're a bit older?
Very much so. I will have to move nearer to the sea first, but yes, I am very keen to be on a lifeboat crew when I'm older.
Last year, I chose to do a project on innovation in lifeboat engineering. As part of that, I interviewed the Manufacturing Manager, Steve Porter, and the Chief Delivery Officer, Rob Faricy. Both of them were super helpful and encouraging. And Steve said: ‘If you're ever down in Poole, I'll take you for a tour.’
So we went down to Poole, stayed at the College, and did a tour of the training centre and the factory. We went to the Old Lifeboat Museum and Poole Lifeboat Station too. It was brilliant. That's really inspired me to be on the crew when I'm older, or to work for the RNLI in some way.
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