3000 volunteer lifesavers trained thanks to £2m funding

The Crew Emergency Procedures course at the RNLI College in Poole, Dorset, allows the trainee crew to experience first-hand some of the situations they may encounter at sea should they ever need to abandon their lifeboat.

The course sees volunteer crew trained how to ‘abandon ship’ with a 4m jump into water, team survival swimming and coping in a liferaft in simulated darkness, amongst other emergency training.

The training is funded by Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a charitable foundation that helps to protect life and property by supporting engineering-related education, public engagement and the application of research.

Lloyd’s Register Foundation first started supporting this training in 2007. A five year agreement saw them donating £1m to fund the course between 2010 and 2015. The Foundation is currently funding the Crew Emergency Procedures course for a second 5-year-period until December 2020, with a fund of £1.06m. Since this partnership began 11 years ago, 3000 volunteer RNLI lifeboat crew members have been trained on this essential course.

Paul Boissier, Chief Executive at the RNLI said, ‘We are delighted to be meeting this special milestone in our relationship with Lloyd's Register Foundation. Their support has been fantastic, and with it 3000 crew members have the skills they need for their own survival. Our volunteers give so much when putting their lives at risk to save others – they deserve the best training that we can provide. By helping us to train the crew, the Foundation is helping to save lives at sea.’

Tim Slingsby, Director of Skills and Education at Lloyd’s Register Foundation said, ‘Lloyd’s Register Foundation exists to enhance the safety of life and property and to advance public education. As such, the Foundation is enormously proud of its association with the RNLI and its mission to save lives at sea. We have funded the Crew Emergencies Procedures training of the RNLI’s volunteer crew members since 2007 and, as the 3000th person completes their Foundation-funded training, we recognise this milestone as testimony to the incredible dedication of the RNLI and their volunteers. We look forward to developing our association with the RNLI and potentially identifying more ways in which we can both make the world a safer place.’

Notes for editors:

· Lloyd’s Register Foundation donated £1M to the RNLI over 5 years from 2010–2015; and £400K over 2 years from 2008–2009, taking over the obligations of the Lloyd’s Register Educational Trust in 2013.

About Lloyd's Register Foundation

· Lloyd’s Register Foundation is a charitable foundation helping to protect life and property by supporting engineering-related education, public engagement and the application of research. www.lrfoundation.org.uk

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