Falmouth RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew thank their employers for their support
Lifeboats News Release
An employers’ evening was recently held at Falmouth lifeboat station to thank them for their continued support by allowing their employees time off work to crew Falmouth lifeboats when there’s a shout.
Employers from Pendennis Shipyard, A & P Falmouth, Falmouth Harbour Commissioners, SKB Sailmakers, 3WhiteHats and Spectrum attended the evening which included a trip out on Falmouth’s Severn class all-weather lifeboat Richard Cox Scott and refreshments with the crew in the boathouse.
Falmouth RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Alan Rowe formally welcomed the employers to the station and expressed the station’s gratitude and thanks for their support. He stated, as an example of this support, 20 shouts out of 29 earlier in the year had Pendennis Shipyard employees in the crew. He then presented Certificates of Thanks to the employers.
Alan also thanked Pendennis Shipyard for, once again, lifting the all-weather lifeboat out of the water for a bottom scrub at their facilities. He said: ‘Not only do they do this for no charge, which is obviously a big benefit to the charity; it also ensures that because they are so close to the station, the lifeboat is out of service for the minimum time.’
Falmouth RNLI Coxswain Jonathan Blakeston said: ‘From an operational point of view, it’s a big advantage to us that Pendennis Shipyard is so close to the station. When the pager goes off, crew members employed by them are able to get to the station very quickly and this enables us to get away in 10 minutes. However, we are very grateful to all the employers for their ongoing support. It’s so important in enabling us to save lives at sea.’
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 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 142,700 lives.
