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Christmas on call for RNLI Port Talbot volunteers

Lifeboats News Release

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) will see hundreds of its volunteer lifeboat crews sacrifice time with their loved ones to save others this Christmas. The 2021 figures show an increase in the number of lives saved during the festive season.

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Santa on call

Last Christmas (24 December 2021–1 January 2022), RNLI lifeboat crews across the UK and Ireland saved the lives of eight people, the highest number recorded in five years. The charity’s volunteer crews aided 88 people during the festive period in 2021, which is an 87% increase from 2020 and the highest number recorded since 2018. The latest figures come as the RNLI seeks support for its Christmas Appeal to save everyone.

Each year RNLI volunteers are prepared to leave their loved ones to save others at Christmas, including those at Port Talbot RNLI. This year at Port Talbot 11 new Lifeboat crew and shore crew will be experiencing their first time with an RNLI pager over the festive period

Clive Morris the Port Talbot Lifeboat Operations Manager who has seen 30 Christmases on call said:

‘This is a massive commitment for anyone to undertake but there can be no greater Christmas gift than saving someone in peril.

'This year, like every other year, we remind everyone to check weather and tide times, be wary of all edges around the sea and waterside and always carry a means of calling for help’.

Winter can be one of the most challenging times to be a lifeboat volunteer with shorter days and the worst weather conditions of the year. But the dedication and courage shown by RNLI lifesavers means that, when the call to rescue comes in, they are ready and willing to head out. No matter if it’s the middle of a dark winter’s night, or in freezing sub-zero temperatures.

The RNLI provides a lifesaving service using volunteers wherever possible, with voluntary donations supplying the funds needed to do so. To make a donation to the RNLI’s Christmas Appeal, visit: RNLI.org/Xmas

RNLI media contacts

For more information please contact Kirstee David, Lifeboat Press Officer. [email protected]

RNLI online

For more information, please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the RNLI News Centre.

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, in a normal year, 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 142,700 lives.

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.

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