New Kärcher cleaning equipment for RNLI Skegness volunteer crew

The cleaning equipment could save volunteers hours of time, speeding up their cleaning routines after responding to a shout.

All 238 lifeboat stations around the UK and Ireland are set to receive Kärcher cleaning equipment across the next three years. This will include professional grade pressure washers and other important cleaning appliances to support with vital maintenance at every lifeboat station.

Depending on their requirements, each station will receive different cleaning appliances to help speed up cleaning processes and improve cleaning power, so RNLI lifesavers can easily get ready to launch again.

Craig Willard at Skegness Lifeboat Station said: 'Kärcher’s equipment will really help us in the vital maintenance of the station and lifeboats. Maintaining and cleaning the equipment and lifeboat station is important to keep it in the best condition possible and ensures we are ready at all times to save lives at sea.

‘We’re lucky enough to have received a professional walk-behind Scrubber Dryer which will help our volunteers to reduce the time spent cleaning and ensure the task is a lot easier on our lifesaving crew.’

Jonny Flower, Kärcher UK, said: ‘The RNLI staff were really friendly and very impressed with the machine. They are all looking forward to having a go.'

In September 2021, the launch of the partnership was celebrated with ‘reverse graffiti’ at Brighton Marina. The clean art was pressure washed onto a harbour wall, displaying the RNLI’s lifesaving message ‘Float to Live’.

James Gordon, Kärcher UK Marketing Director said: 'We are proud and honoured to be partnering with the RNLI, and supporting the vital work they do in saving lives at sea. We’re delighted that our equipment will play a role in keeping the boats and stations clean and ready for callouts at all times during the year.'

As well as providing cleaning equipment, Kärcher are supporting the partnership by running a number of fundraising activities and sales promotions throughout the partnership to raise vital funds to help the RNLI continue saving lives at sea.

Notes to editors:

To find out more about the launch of the RNLI’s partnership with Kärcher, please visit the RNLI’s News Centre.

The RNLI is the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Skegness RNLI is based on Tower Esplanade, Skegness. The lifeboat station was founded in 1825 and the volunteer crew use an all-weather Shannon class lifeboat Joel and April Grunnill and D class lifeboat The Holland Family.

RNLI media contacts

For further information, please contact:

Brad Johnson, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for lifeboat station RNLI on [email protected]

RNLI Press Officer: [email protected]