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RNLI College celebrates 20 years of training lifesavers

Lifeboats News Release

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s (RNLI) College in Poole is celebrating 20 years of training the charity’s lifeboat crew and lifeguards to save lives at sea.

RNLI/Chris Taylor Photo

The RNLI College was previously known as the Lifeboat College when it was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2004. It is the home of RNLI training. Over 25,000 volunteer crew have since passed through its doors and into its classrooms, lifeboats, live engine workshops, bridge simulator and sea survival pool in the past two decades.

The aim of the college was to become a centre of training excellence for volunteers, an increasing number of whom were joining the RNLI without a maritime background. Today, the RNLI College is internationally recognised as a beacon of lifesaving training, not only for our lifeboat crew members, but our lifeguards too.

This week, the RNLI College celebrated its birthday at the College in Poole amongst lifeboat trainers and crew. The special RNLI College Birthday cake was cut by Louise Wenham, Learning and Development Services Coordinator, who started at the RNLI in 1990 and was one of the first employees to move into the RNLI College when the building became functional.

There was a speech from Chief Executive of the RNLI, Peter Sparkes, about the history of the college and all that’s been achieved over the last two decades.

Alex Evans, Lifesaving Training Manager, said:

‘We aim to put 1200 crew through the CEP (Crew Emergency Procedures) course every year. It’s a 2-day safety course and covers capsize, sea survival and firefighting. Other courses range from Casualty Care and Seamanship to DC Electrics and Lifeguard Leadership and vary in length from 2 days to 5 days. Courses at the College basically accelerate learning and training done on the coast.

‘The College’s primary purpose is for volunteers and lifeguards to do their training so that they can go out and save people, especially because people come from all walks of life, a lot of people have no maritime background. If we didn't train people well, there would be no rescuers. There'd be no rescues. And that's what's so cool about the College.

‘At the lunch or dinner table, crew from different stations will chat about how things work in their own region, and getting those little snippets outside of the classroom setting is priceless. It’s all part of the whole reason the College was built 20 years ago – to be the home of learning.’

The stunning location of the College, overlooking Poole Harbour, has seen it become a popular venue for events and conferences, including the RNLI’s first Women in SAR conference for International Women’s Day 2024. There have been over 25,000 course attendees at the college in the last 20 years!

The RNLI College is also a hotel, waterside restaurant and bar where members of the public can eat in Riggers Restaurant or view the lifeboats and any training taking place on Holes Bay from the Slipway Bar, as RNLI lifeboat crew and lifeguard training takes place all year round.

College Discovery Tours are conducted by dedicated volunteer guides, allowing supporters to go behind the scenes of this state-of-the-art training facility.

Every £1 spent at the RNLI College makes a difference, helping to provide the kit, training and equipment lifeboat crews need to save lives at sea. In its first 10 years, training in-house, together with careful use of the college’s spare capacity, it saved over £10M.

The RNLI College is at the heart of the RNLI – where our extraordinary lifesaving volunteer crew and lifeguards from around the UK and Ireland will be trained for years to come.

Notes to editor

  • The RNLI would like to commemorate the sacrifice and commitment of all the lifesavers that came before, celebrate who we are and what the RNLI does today and inspire the next generation to support, donate or volunteer. For more information on the RNLI 200th anniversary: https://rnli.org/about-us/our-history/2024
  • For more information about the RNLI College, and to book your next stay, please visit: https://rnli.org/rnli-college
  • For information about the history of the RNLI: https://rnli.org/about-us/our-history
  • The RNLI College raises vital funds to help save lives at sea. Every £1 spent at the RNLI College makes a difference, helping to provide the kit, training and equipment lifeboat crews need to answer urgent calls for help.
  • To support the work of the RNLI: https://rnli.org/support-us
RNLI media contacts

For more information please contact Ellie Wainwright, RNLI Media Communications Placement, on [email protected] or 07854513319

Alternatively you can contact the RNLI Press Office on [email protected] or 01202336789.

RNLI/ Nathan Williams

RNLI/ Nathan Williams

RNLI/Nathan Williams

RNLI/Nathan Williams

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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