West Midlands choir raise £6000 for RNLI in honour of family members death

The Firebird Singers, are a mixed voice choir from Meriden in the West Midlands. This year, they selected the RNLI as the charity they would support throughout their 2025/26 season of concerts and events.

Recently, the choir held a double spring concert at The Manor Hotel in Meriden, performing during the day and evening to raise funds for the RNLI. The day included a series of fundraising events for the RNLI such as a chocolate tombola, stalls selling homemade goods including crafts and preserves. The event was hugely successful with over 250 people attending across the afternoon matinee and evening concerts.

The choir have performed a total of three full concerts this season, all raising funds for the RNLI. Their season began with their Christmas 2025 concert and was followed by the April event.

To sum up the choirs fundraising efforts, they held their final event for the RNLI, titled the Pot Luck Pop - the ultimate jukebox concert!

Musical Director of The Firebird Singers choir, Andrew Smith said:

‘All of the concerts have been a real success so far and we have very much enjoyed supporting such an important charity.

‘The RNLI is a very close charity to many members in the choir, so we’re delighted to be raising money to help save lives at sea. We understand the summer is a particularly busy time for the charity and its volunteer crews, and we’re very grateful for all the support of our events so we can raise as much money as possible.’

On the afternoon of July 26, 2021, Callum Baker Osborne, his twin brother Ryan and his family visited Poole for a seaside holiday. During their time at the beach, several family members were unexpectedly swept into deep water by a sudden tidal surge.

Without hesitation, Callum entered the sea to help his mother, his sister, and her young family. In a remarkable act of courage, he succeeded in rescuing a number of his younger relatives, as well as his mother. Tragically, the immense effort left him exhausted, and he was unable to save himself.

The RNLI launched an extensive search operation, working tirelessly from early morning until late into the night over the course of four days. Despite their efforts, Callum’s body was later found at a harbour beach approximately one mile along the coast on 30 July 2021.

In recognition of his extraordinary bravery and selflessness, Callum was posthumously awarded the King’s Commendation for Bravery. The honour was received by his mother and siblings on 25 March 2026 at St James’s Palace in London.

RNLI Media Contacts

For more information please contact Betsy Owen, Regional Communications Placement on [email protected] or 07483 485378.

Alternatively you can contact Claire Fitzpatrick-Smith, Regional Communications Manager on [email protected] or 07977 728315, or contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.

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For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, TikTok 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.