Generous donation gives Ilfracombe lifeboats a firm footing
Ilfracombe lifeboat crew were delighted to receive an unexpected gift of £10,000 from Cytiva
The Ilfracombe site chose RNLI Ilfracombe as a recipient of funding this year as so many of the team enjoy being on and in the sea. "At the Ilfracombe site, the associates chose RNLI Ilfracombe as a charity to support, as many of us enjoy sea activities such as surfing, windsurfing, gig rowing, swimming, and fishing. We recognise RNLI as an amazing organisation that we hope never to need, but appreciate knowing they are there for us" said Ben Berridge, Cytiva's Projects Director.
A team from Cytiva visited the lifeboat station to meet crew members and hand over the donation. One member of the lifeboat crew, however, was already very familiar to them. Simon Cowen is both a member of the lifeboat crew and an employee of Cytiva. Simon, one of RNLI Ilfracombe's Station Afloat Mechanics, is a critical member of the all-weather lifeboat crew. However, not living in Ilfracombe gives him a serious problem in getting to shouts. When he talked to Cytiva about the idea of being on call in his working hours in Ilfracombe, they were happy to accommodate this and give him the flexibility he needs.
Simon says "I am very grateful for the support of Cytiva to enable my lifeboat commitment. Allowing me time in my working day to respond to my lifeboat pager is the difference between me being able to help me potentially save lives at sea - and not being able to help at all." And it is not just Simon as a lifeboat volunteer who is supported by Cytiva in this way, employees who are volunteers with the Coastguard and the Fire Service are also given the flexibility to be on call during working hours.
Richard Legg, Operations Manager with RNLI Ilfracombe, is thrilled with the support of Cytiva. "This very generous donations gives the lifeboat service here a very firm footing for the year ahead and we are extremely grateful for that. We are also indebted to Cytiva for enabling Simon to get to shouts. We are looking forward to members of the Cytiva team visiting the lifeboat station and seeing our crew and lifeboats in action."
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
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