Maritime Minister pays a visit to Newhaven RNLI
Today Newhaven Lifeboat Station hosted a visit from Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden in her role as Maritime Minister.
As this is Maritime Safety Week, the Minister was keen to meet local volunteers and hear about their experiences of saving lives at sea. The crew spoke to her about the demands of their work and the training they undertake to ensure they, and any casualties they rescue, are as safe as possible at sea.
After meeting the crew, the Minister went afloat on Newhaven’s all-weather Severn lifeboat, the David and Elizabeth Acland, taking the helm for a short period and learning more about the conditions in which the boat operates and hearing about some recent rescues.
Ms Ghani said, “It was fantastic to see the hard work of the RNLI volunteers dedicated to making people safe at sea. On average, 400 people drown in the UK each year.
“Our Maritime Safety Action Plan sets out how we will reduce the number of avoidable fatalities on our waterways as quickly as possible, working together with organisations like the RNLI.”
Roger Cohen, volunteer operations manager for Newhaven and Brighton RNLI, said, “The RNLI’s clear focus is on safety at sea and we were delighted to welcome the Minister today. The volunteers appreciate her support and were pleased to show her how we work with colleagues to keep everyone safer around the Sussex coast.”
Media contacts
For more information, or for interview requests, contact Julie Rainey, South East Regional Media Manager, on 07827 358 256 / [email protected] or the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789 or [email protected]
or Juliet Eales, Senior Press Officer at Department for Transport on 020 7944 3864 | 07977 405405 or [email protected]
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.