Bumper local support for Dover RNLI Lifeboat Station
RNLI Dover crew over the past month have received over £15,000 of support from locally based businesses.
At the re-opening of the local Shepherd Neame pub 'The Lord Nelson' the crew were invited to receive a cheque of £1000.00 from Jonathan Neame and new licensee Chris Bichard.
Dover Lifeboat station was chosen as the recipient of the donation as Chris felt that the RNLI are an integral part of the local community. Crew members were invited to join Chris and his family, Leader of Dover Council Cllr Trevor Bartlett and Jonathan Neame for an evening at the Lord Nelson.
In addition Dover RNLI welcomed a donation of £14,018.54 from local ferry company P&O Ferries. The cheque was handed over by Joe Ciantar, Head of Security Gaming and Financial Services. The money was collected from the six ships sailing on the Dover to Calais route and their head office over 2019.
Mr Ciantar said: ‘In the last ten years P&O Ferries has handed over £111k to the RNLI. P&O Ferries has a fantastic sea going tradition and we support the RNLI as much as we can because they save lives at sea.’
Dover RNLI Coxswain, James Clapham said
‘More people than ever need our help. People are still drowning and we need to invest in our crews and lifeboats, but we are a charity and our income has gone down'.
'In addition our biggest lifesaver the Severn class lifeboats, like the City of London ll we have at Dover are coming to the end of their days and need complete refits so they can carry on rescuing people for another 25 years'.
The RNLI relies on the generosity of the public, so both of these amazing donations will help our crew by providing them with everything they need to save lives.
With the continued support of the public we can weather this Perfect Storm currently facing the RNLI.’
Note to Editors:
The RNLI announced earlier this month that it will be extending the life of its Severn class lifeboat, such as the City of London ll for another 25 years. There are currently 44 of these 42 tonne lifesaving vessels in the charity's fleet.
The average anticipated cost of each life extension upgrade is £1.25M. This is significantly less than the cost of designing and building a brand-new class of lifeboat to replace the Severn. For context, a Shannon, which is significantly smaller and not as powerful as the Severn, costs £2.2M to build.
The RNLI has launched its ‘Save our Severns’ appeal, with the aim of raising £700,000 to help fund life extension upgrades to these incredible vessels. To donate, visit: RNLI.org/Severn25
RNLI Media Contacts:
Deanne Morgan, volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, Dover Lifeboat Station (07747) 616095 [email protected]
Paul Dunt, RNLI Regional Media Officer, South East and London (07785) 296252 [email protected]
RNLI Press office and 24/7 duty press officer (01202) 336789
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
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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.