
RNLI Skegness successful Stormy Stans Tour raises an impressive £7,000
The tour, which took place over the summer season, visited various venues across Skegness, Ingoldmells, and Chapel St Leonards.
Throughout these events, the team was welcomed into venues with opportunities to share crucial safety messages and fundraise for the lifeboat station.
Organised by Brad Johnson, one of the station's Deputy Launching Authorities, the volunteer crew team hit the road seven times between June and October. Throughout the season, the Pubs & Clubs team included volunteers crew membersAlex Collins, Jaiden Elson, Alan Gordon-Griffiths, Ryan Speed, Lyz Thein, Craig Hopkins, Ellie Mae-Barnfield, James Porter, Lewis Knight, Tony Johnson and Adam Kendrick.
The average cost to train an RNLI crew member is approximately £1,400 so it's fantastic news that the generosity of visitors to the area will allow the station to train a further four members of the volunteer crew, contributing to the lifesaving future along the Lincolnshire coastline.
'We are incredibly proud of our efforts this season,' said Brad Johnson, Deputy Launching Authority. 'I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the venues who welcomed us and the volunteer crew who gave up their times to support the tour. Your kindness and support have helped us raise vital funds and share important safety information. We look forward to continuing this success next season with even more dates and an earlier start.'
The fundraising totals for each venue are as follows:
- Skegness Holiday Park, Haven – £829.87
- Club Tropicana, Blue Anchor Leisure – £3,234.39
- Woody’s, Blue Anchor Leisure – £806.25
- Big Top Show Bar - £615.18
- Coastfields Holiday Village - £163.74
- Captain Jack’s Show Bar, Fantasy Island - £654.15
- Happy Days Club, Chapel St Leonards - £262.66
- Stewart’s Bar, Chapel St Leonards - £119.04
- Skegness Carnival - £328.75
This year, the volunteer crew raised a total of £7,014.03 for Skegness RNLI Lifeboat Station, sharing water safety information with over 25,000 visitors in the local area along the way. The tips shared were specifically tailored for younger audiences, highlighting the importance of stopping and thinking, staying together, floating, and calling 999 or 112 in case of emergencies.
Alan Gordon-Griffiths, Water Safety Education volunteer, said, 'Creating relationships through this work is key for increasing the number of water safety ambassador businesses. It fosters a dialogue between tourism businesses and the lifeboat station, helping us collaborate to share water safety guidance with their guests. We're already looking at how we can build on this for next year to embed water safety into many holiday parks operations.'
'Without businesses supporting our work, we wouldn't be able to raise the funds we can. We are eternally grateful for the opportunities provided by local hospitality and tourism businesses made available to our station's volunteer crew and fundraisers.' - Nikki Wrench, Senior Community Manager at the RNLI.
In addition to fundraising, venues showcased the Lifeboat Station's Inflatable Safety video, which is particularly important due to the high volume of incidents involving them each year.
Blue Anchor Leisure alone raised £4,040.64 for the Skegness RNLI through the Pubs and Clubs initiative this year, a mammoth amount for the lifeboat station.
Charlotte Dashfield, Children's Entertainment Coordinator at Blue Anchor Leisure, speaks positively about the RNLI: 'We love the RNLI and see it as vital that we support their work,' she says 'Helping to reduce incidents across the coastline and keep our customers safe is a priority for us.'
Following the success of the 2022 tour, which raised over £2,500, this year's efforts have more than doubled the fundraising amount. The station is already looking forward to attending more events next year, using this success to springboard water safety initiatives throughout 2024.
To request a visit from Stormy Stan and the volunteer crew for next season, please email
[email protected]. To speak to the station about water safety education or the ambassador programme, please email
[email protected].
Notes to editors
- 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 inshore D class lifeboat The Holland Family and as well as an all-weather Shannon class lifeboat the Joel and April Grunnill.
- Full running costs of the RNLI can be found online: https://rnli.org/about-us/how-the-rnli-is-run/running-costs
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.