Littlehampton RNLI urges safety first after rescuing 48 people in 2016
Littlehampton's volunteer lifeboats 'Renée Sherman', 'Ray of Hope' and 'Blue Peter 1' (now part of the RNLI's reserve fleet) launched on 54 rescue missions last year including commercial vessels in trouble, fishing boats adrift and swimmers and surfers in distress.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution's volunteer crews based at Littlehampton, rescued 48 people in 2016 of which six were under the age of 18. Of the 48-people rescued, three were classed as lives saved – a specific RNLI criteria where a person would have died if not for the RNLI lifeboat arriving on the scene. The figures show that Littlehampton RNLI was the 19th busiest station out of the 42 stations in the RNLI South East Region, with a third of the 54 lifeboat launches occurring after nightfall.
In 2016 more than 2,000 people were rescued from the seas around the south east coast of England prompting a plea from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) for people to take more care at the coast and respect the water.
Volunteer lifeboat crews from 39 lifeboat stations around the south east coast launched a total of 1,981 times in 2016, rescuing a total of 2,013 people who were in distress. Figures show lifeboat launches are up by 13 per cent on 2015’s total of 1,750 launches. Similarly, the number of people rescued increased by 3 per cent in 2016, up from 1,940 people in 2015.
Littlehampton RNLI Lifeboat Station is manned by a variety of volunteers including the operations team, lifeboat crew, trainee crew, shore crew, visitor experience team and the RNLI Gift shop staff. All volunteers give their time freely and everyone involved at the station is grateful for the continued public support in helping meet the ever-increasing cost of equipment and training with their kind donations and contributions.
"Whilst the RNLI is primarily a frontline rescue service, the charity isn’t just about rescuing people when they find themselves in danger," said Littlehampton Lifeboat Press Officer Ray Pye. " It aims to equip people with the knowledge and skills to avoid trouble in the first place and know what to do should they find themselves or others in danger in the water, paying more attention to safety messages and giving the water the healthy respect it deserves."
"While we will always answer the call for help, the RNLI would like everyone visiting the coast to make safety a priority, whether that means wearing a lifejacket, checking their vessel before they go afloat, ensuring they have means of communication, checking the tide times before they go out and knowing they should call 999 and ask for the UK Coastguard in the event of an emergency. It all comes down to people taking more care at the coast and respecting the water," he added.
RNLI media contacts
- Ray Pye, Littlehampton RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer / 07854 074688, email [email protected]
- Tim Ash, RNLI Public Relations Manager (London/East/South East) on 0207 6207426, 07785 296252 email [email protected]
- Paul Dunt Press Officer (London/East/South East) on 0207 620 7416 07786 668825 email [email protected]
- For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789 email [email protected]
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 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 146,000 lives.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, 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.