Christmas tree chipping in Whitstable helps save lives at sea

Kellie Gray, Chairman of the Whitstable Fundraising Branch of the RNLI said:

'With the help of A Bird Ltd, we hope people will see that this is a suitable way of recycling their trees and in so doing raise valuable funds for the RNLI. They will be present at the boathouse between 10am and 1.00pm to receive trees and run them through their chipping machine. We have suggested a donation of £3.00 for the service and in addition, the RNLI shop will be open to serve hot drinks'.

Alex Bird said, 'I have always been a follower of the RNLI and, living in Whitstable, I think it is very important that it is supported by the local community'.

'My father, Dickie, when he was landlord of the East Kent also liked to get involved with fund raising activity for the station and the RNLI, so when I was approached by Nathan Tough, Area Community Manager for the RNLI, I was honoured to join forces with the station and hope that people around the area will take the opportunity to recycle their trees with the aim of enabling the Whitstable Lifeboat and the RNLI to continue to save lives at sea. Incidentally, we will also be doing tree chipping for the Pilgrims Hospice'.

Up until 15 Dec 2021, the volunteer crews at Whitstable lifeboat station have answered 46 calls to a variety of maritime incidents between Kingsferry Bridge in the Swale and Reculver in the east..

Ends.

Picture caption:

Crewmember Vicky Kypta and Kellie Gray, Chairman of the Whitstable Branch of the RNLI with Ellis Hood and Pete Reynolds of A. Bird Ltd who will be chipping Christmas trees in aid of the RNLI at Whitstable Lifeboat Station on Sunday 9th January. Picture: Chris Davey/RNLI Whitstable.

Notes to editors

Whitstable RNLI Lifeboat Station was established in 1963 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and is one of 237 lifeboat stations around the shores of the UK and Ireland. The volunteer crews provide a maritime search and rescue service for the Kent coast. They cover the area between the Kingsferry Bridge on the Swale, in the west, around the south-eastern side of Sheppey and along the coast through Whitstable and Herne Bay to Reculver in the east and outwards into the Thames Estuary.

The station is equipped with an Atlantic 85 lifeboat named Lewisco, purchased through a bequest of a Miss Lewis of London who passed away in 2006.

She is what is known as a rigid inflatable inshore lifeboat, the boat’s rigid hull being topped by an inflatable sponson. She carries a crew of four people.

RNLI media contacts

· Chris Davey, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, Whitstable Lifeboat Station.
07741 012004/ [email protected]

· Paul Dunt RNLI Press Officer London/southeast/east Tel: 0207 6207416 Mob: (07785) 296252 [email protected]

· For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789

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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.

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