Littlehampton RNLI reopens for visitors – and needs your help!
Littlehampton RNLI Lifeboat Station is reopening for visitors once again – and is calling on volunteers for help.
The lifeboat station, in Littlehampton Harbour, was forced to close to visitors in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. But from Thursday 22 July, will be opening its doors to the public once again.
Open from 10am-4pm during the summer months (10am-3pm in winter), visitors to the lifeboat station will be able to see Littlehampton RNLI’s two lifeboats Renee Sherman and Ray of Hope, talk to the station’s friendly volunteers and find out more about the RNLI and water safety.
The lifeboat station has a rich and exciting history. The RNLI has been present in Littlehampton since 1884, and from 1967 to 2016 was the home of the lifeboat Blue Peter I, funded by a very successful and popular appeal by the BBC children’s programme Blue Peter.
Littlehampton RNLI Lifeboat Station is now looking for friendly volunteers to help give guided tours to the public and school groups. As a visitor volunteer, you’ll be responsible for supervising the public to ensure they remain safe, keep the boathouse Covid-19 secure, and talk to the public about the lifeboats, the RNLI and in particular with the children, water safety.
Littlehampton RNLI Lifeboat Visits Officer, Brian Capp, said: ‘Volunteers should be available for a three-hour shift in the summer, or two-and-a-half hours in winter – mornings or afternoons. They will need to demonstrate how important it is for people to understand the dangers the sea can throw up. They will also need to encourage the public to sign up, join or donate to the RNLI so that we are able to continue saving lives at sea.’
If you are interested, please contact Brian Capp on [email protected] or 01903 415186.
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, Twitter 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.