Change of name and record year for Lyme Regis RNLI Guild
A change of name, nearly £67,000 raised for the charity last year and plans for a better-than-ever Lifeboat Week.
These were the highlights of the annual meeting of the Lyme Regis and Charmouth RNLI Guild on 3 April.
After decades as a Guild the volunteers, who form the fund-raising branch of the RNLI, are now members of the Lyme Regis ands Charmouth Lifeboat Supporters Group.
Chairman Ken Lavery said the title of Guild 'does not tell people what we are about.' Members voted for the change and now plan an open day at the lifeboat station in a bid to raise the profile of the group and attract new members. Mr. Lavery praises a 'superb' committee and said plans were now under way for a better than ewver Lifeboat Week with many of the old favourites and new events.
Treasurer Brian Cursley reported that the group had raised a total of £66,806 for the life-saving charity during 2018, including £35,152 during Lifeboat Week alone.
The meeting heard that takings at the lifeboat shop on the Cobb totalled £138,203
Lifeboat Operations Manager Nick Marks reported that the volunteer crew had answered 40 emergency calls during the year, most involving missing persons, people cut off by the tide and broken down vessels.
Guest speaker was Steve Hockings-Thompson, coxswain with the RNLI lifeboat at Exmouth. He described in detail the qualities of the Shannon class lifeboat now stationed at Exmouth.
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.
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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
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