Haven Holidays gets on board with Berwick-upon-Tweed RNLI

Team members at two Haven holiday parks have come together with the crew at Berwick-upon-Tweed Lifeboat Station to launch a month of fundraising for the RNLI.

Haven recently announced a national partnership with the RNLI across its 36 family holiday parks, raising money to save lives at sea and sharing safety advice with Haven’s 2.6m holidaymakers.

Throughout May, Haven parks are supporting the RNLI’s national Mayday campaign, which aims to raise funds for essential lifeboat crew kit.

And Berwick and Haggerston Castle parks in Northumberland have a special reason for supporting their local RNLI lifeboat station: they share a colleague.

While her day job sees her working as a lifeguard at Haven’s Berwick Holiday Park, Christi Avril is also a volunteer crew member at the RNLI’s Berwick-upon-Tweed Lifeboat Station.

So, for Mayday, Christi’s Haven colleagues will be organising fundraising activities at the parks to help fund her lifeboat kit, worth nearly £1,600.

To kick off the appeal, Haven team members visited the station to meet some of the volunteer crew and got the opportunity to see the lifeboat up close.

John Campbell, Deputy Second Coxswain at Berwick-upon-Tweed said: ‘It was great to welcome the team from Berwick and Haggerston Castle parks to the lifeboat station.

‘By supporting our Mayday campaign, Haven will be helping crews like ourselves face the harshest conditions at sea with the best kit possible.

‘Our partnership with Haven is also a fabulous opportunity to share messages with holidaymakers to help them stay safe and have fun by the water.’

David Fairclough, General Manager at Haven’s Berwick Holiday Park, added: ‘We’re thrilled to have teamed up with the RNLI and look forward to forming a close bond with our local lifeboat station. We were delighted to meet the volunteer crew as well as to bring along Havens mascots Rory and Polly to meet the RNLI’s Stormy Stan!

‘By working with the RNLI, we’ll be helping our guests have a safe, enjoyable holiday at our wonderful beachside locations. We look forward to fundraising for the lifeboat station and offering fun RNLI activities throughout the season.’

ENDS

RNLI media contacts

For more information, please contact Mike Carhart-Harris, PR Manager (Campaigns), on 01202 663168 / [email protected]

About Mayday

This year, the RNLI is going yellow for Mayday – just like volunteer crews do every day to save lives at sea. Anyone who wishes to get involved can visit RNLI.org/mayday to register for a free Mayday fundraising pack. The pack provides a host of fundraising ideas, such as encouraging friends and colleagues to plan a wear-yellow fundraiser, getting sponsored to run, walk or cycle, cooking up some yellow-themed bakes to sell or even getting together to lift the weight of a 42 tonne Severn class lifeboat!

The charity is also encouraging people to show support on their social media, joining the conversation using the hashtag #MaydayEveryDay, or by donating online or buying a yellow crew member pin badge.

About Haven

As one of Britain’s leading family holiday companies Haven own and operate 36 award-winning family holiday parks throughout England, Scotland and Wales. They offer a full programme of activities and entertainment alongside being located next to some of Britain’s most beautiful beaches and brightest resorts making them a great base for exploring the local area. For more information, visit www.haven.com

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.