
RNLI lifesavers at Tighnabruaich prepare to answer the call this Christmas
As the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) comes to the end of its milestone 200th year, the charity is launching its annual Christmas fundraising appeal, with a focus on the volunteer crew members who are preparing to spend Christmas on call.
Christmas is a time for family and friends, but the RNLI’s volunteer crews are ready to leave their own celebrations this festive season and answer the call for help. Just one of the thousands of crew members, preparing for his first festive season on call, is David Mackail.
David moved to the area earlier this year and, as his father and grandfather were big fans of the RNLI, decided to volunteer to help out at the station. He explained “to my surprise you can join the boat crew up till 55 years old. So I was delighted to be allowed to train to be boat crew”.
David continued “I wasn’t really sure what to expect, there is a huge amount to learn and practice, it’s very much in at the deep end quite early on!” In addition to learning with local crew, David also travelled to the RNLI training college in Poole, Dorset, and completed two specialist skills courses there including Capsize and Evacuation in the training pool, driving and Search and Rescue Techniques.
David has now been on four callouts, and said: ‘Even at this time of year, people still get in trouble in the water, and we’re all prepared to leave our own celebrations to help them. It really gets the adrenaline going when the pager goes off’.
‘The training college is a world class facility and the training was intense. But as volunteer lifeboat crew we couldn’t launch without kind donations from the public which fund the kit, training and equipment we need to save others and get home safely to our own families.’
To make a donation to the RNLI’s Christmas Appeal, and enable the charity to continue its lifesaving work, visit: RNLI.org/WinterAppeal
Notes to editors
· Tighnabruaich RNLI lifeboat station has been operating since 1967. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to:https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/tighnabruaich-lifeboat-station
RNLI media contacts
Janie Boyd, Lifeboat Press Officer, [email protected]
Natasha Rushby, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland, 07826 900639, [email protected]
Tom McGuire, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland and Ireland, 00353 87 476 4436, [email protected]
Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for Scotland, 07920 365929, [email protected]
RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789
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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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.