RNLI Ilfracombe receives grant from North Devon Coast AONB

The presentation took place at the Ilfracombe Lifeboat Station and was attended by volunteer crew members.

Ilfracombe Lifeboat station has an area reaching from Woolacombe in the west to Foreland point in the east with call-outs to Lundy Island where necessary. As an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty it attracts many visitors throughout the year.

The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. The station has initiated a project over the last 12 months to support the lifeboat station to purchase additional lifesaving equipment.

Jenny Carey-Wood, AONB Manager, said “Despite the beauty of the seas and coast of North Devon they can be a challenging environment to explore and enjoy. The improved capability from this valuable new equipment will help to save lives and we are delighted to support the RNLI’s work”

Chris Wallis, RNLI Operations Manager for Ilfracombe, says: ‘The grant of £3,500 from the North Devon Coast AONB Sustainable Development Fund will be of huge benefit to the work of the RNLI Ilfracombe Lifeboat station to help us to save lives at sea and will be used to purchase valuable life saving equipment.’

Notes to editors

· Ilfracombe lifeboat station has been operating since 1866. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to https://rnli.org/ilfracombe

· Operations Manager Chris Wallis is available for interview

· Ilfracombe RNLI station operates a Shannon class all weather lifeboat The Barry and Peggy High Foundation and a D class inshore lifeboat The Deborah Brown II.

RNLI media contacts

For more information please telephone Paula Kingdon, RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer rel="noopener noreferrer" on 07786 433744 or [email protected] or contact RNLI Media and Public Relations on 01202 336789

RNLI online

For more information on the RNLI please visit rnli.org. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos rel="noopener noreferrer" and video, are available at the RNLI News Centre rnli.org/news-and-media.

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 over 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 142,200 lives.

Key facts about the North Devon AONB

1. The Sustainable Development Fund (SDF) supports projects that bring environmental, social and economic benefits to the North Devon Coast Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The fund aims to support projects which develop and test new methods of achieving a more sustainable way of life in this area of great beauty and diversity. North Devon Coast AONB receive this money from Defra because this area is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

2. This spectacular coastal area, which covers some 66 square miles from the boundary of Exmoor National Park at Combe Martin to Marsland Mouth on the Cornish border, was designated as an AONB in 1959.

3. Further information about rel="noopener noreferrer" the North Devon Coast Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty can be found on www.northdevon-aonb.org.uk

4. Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), along with National Parks, are considered to be the most special landscapes in the country and belong to an international family of protected areas. There are 38 AONBs in England and Wales, and a further eight in Northern Ireland. For further details, visit: www.landscapesforlife.org.uk

5. The work of the North Devon Coast AONB staff unit is guided by the AONB Partnership, which includes representatives from: Devon County Council, North Devon Council and Torridge District Council, Coastwise North Devon, Country Land and Business Association, Devon Wildlife Trust, Historic England, Environment Agency, Exmoor National Park, Forestry Commission, National Farmers Union, National Trust, Natural England, North Devon Biosphere Partnership, North Devon+, Tarka Country Trust and the Taw Torridge Estuary Forum.

6. The North Devon AONB is a stunning coastal area which is nationally protected for the beauty of its landscape. It is made up of several distinct landscapes, each with their own special habitats and geology with many of them receiving extra protection in their own right. The AONB contains many Sites of Special rel="noopener noreferrer" Scientific Interest including Braunton Burrows, which is the core of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve www.northdevonbiosphere.org.ok

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.