Rye Harbour RNLI lifeboat station pushes the boat out on its Open Day

The visitors ranged from the very young – mere babes in arms – through to the rather more elderly. What everyone had in common was enjoyment of all that was on offer - inspection of the lifeboats, participation in the raffle, listening to the live music and prizes won from the tombola.

The supporters included all those businesses in the local community who kindly donated raffle prizes: the Bosun’s Bite Café; Hayden's; the Mermaid Inn; Sheri's café; Simon the Pieman; Teddy’s Barbers and the Inkerman Arms, and individual Harbour folk who had done the same.

The musicians of the Friday Club gave their entertainment for free, and one committed seven-year old RNLI enthusiast, Finn Kemp, was publicly recognised for having raised the sum of £82.78 from the sale of RNLI yellow welly biscuits he had made. Matt Parsons and his father John were also thanked for the money they had raised for the RNLI as a result of the recent Oakfest, a family music, beer and food festival.

Amongst the colleagues were members of the RNLI's Dungeness lifeboat crew, who brought their all-weather Shannon class vessel The Morrell to the Harbour; the Rye Fire and Rescue service, who drove their pumping appliance down to the lifeboat station where it was much admired by visitors; representatives of HM Coastguard; and members of the charity Rother Responders, who are often first at the scene in an emergency.

The message from this gathering of community volunteers committed to serving the public in cases of emergency was powerful, and the RNLI is proud to do its part in working tirelessly to save lives at sea.

Rye Harbour Lifeboat Operations Manager, Tony Edwards, said: ‘It was a really successful Open Day with lovely weather and a great deal of local support. We were pleased to welcome the Dungeness crew and all the other local agencies. A big thank you to the fundraising team who organised the day and to the crew.’

RNLI Media contacts

· Martin Bruce, Rye Harbour RNLI volunteer Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer (07789) 818878 [email protected]

· Paul Dunt, Regional Media Officer (South East), 0207 6207426, 07785 296252 [email protected]

· For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789

RNLI online: For more information on the RNLI please visit http://www.rnli.org/. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI News Centre.

Key facts about the RNLI

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is the charity that saves lives at sea. Our volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service in the United Kingdom and Ireland from 237 lifeboat stations, including four along the River Thames and inland lifeboat stations at Loch Ness, Lough Derg, Enniskillen and Lough Ree. Additionally the RNLI has more than 1,000 lifeguards on over 180 beaches around the UK and operates a specialist flood rescue team, which can respond anywhere across the UK and Ireland when inland flooding puts lives at risk.

The RNLI relies on public donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. As a charity it is separate from, but works alongside, government-controlled and funded coastguard services. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824 our lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved at least 140,000 lives. Volunteers make up 95% of the charity, including 4,600 volunteer lifeboat crew members and 3,000 volunteer shore crew. Additionally, tens of thousands of other dedicated volunteers raise funds and awareness, give safety advice, and help in our museums, shops and offices.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter 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 or by email.

The RNLI is a charity registered in England and Wales (209603) and Scotland (SC037736). Charity number 20003326 in the Republic of Ireland.

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.