Frequently asked questions

Due to Covid-19, all stations are currently closed to the public and we advise against travelling to the station to see the lifeboat. The Lifeboat is at the end of a pontoon and may not be visible from a distance. Once it is safe to do so, we will be inviting supporters to see the Lifeboat.

When the lifeboat arrives at Clifden station in 2022, supporters will be able to visit the lifeboat and the Lifeboat station but this is yet to be confirmed. It is unlikely that you will be able to get close enough to the lifeboat to read the names on the decal and we cannot guarantee that the lifeboat will be visible to view all the time as it may be involved in a rescue, training, maintenance or other activity. However, there will be opportunities to see photographs and videos of the boat through our social media channels, on our Launch a Memory website page and in supporter publications including Lifeboat magazine.

There will also be opportunities to see the lifeboat in Poole (England) before the boat leaves for Clifden. We will update supporters when we have more definitive timings.

The boat will be available for the public to see on several occasions. If you have any questions about our station, or your lifeboat, please contact launchamemory@rnli.org.uk. As you can imagine, our volunteer crew at Wells have a lot to juggle alongside being on call 24 hours a day - so we’d be really grateful if you could avoid contacting the station directly.

When the boat is being built in our All-weather Lifeboat Centre (ALC) building in Poole, it will be available to see as part of the ALC tours during the later build stage. Please note that the decal with all the names of loved ones sent in to Launch a Memory will not be applied until after this build stage. Please also note visibility of the boat during its construction will be partially obstructed by the bays due to the nature of it being a working factory. To find out more about the tours and for images inside the building please see the All-Weather Lifeboat Centre page. 

Due to COVID-19 we have been unable to have visitors to our ALC in Poole, but we hope to allow visitors again when restrictions allow. If you have provided us with your email address when submitting your loved one’s name then we will keep you updated on the lifeboat’s progress.

The lifeboat is scheduled to arrive at Wells Lifeboat Station in 2022, but the exact date is yet to be confirmed (delays could occur due to Covid-19).

When the lifeboat arrives at Wells station in 2022, supporters will be able to visit the lifeboat and the Lifeboat station, but this is yet to be confirmed. It is unlikely that you will be able to get close enough to the lifeboat to read the names on the decal and we cannot guarantee that the lifeboat will be visible to view all the time as it may be involved in a rescue, training, maintenance or other activity. However, there will be opportunities to see photographs and videos of the boat through our social media channels, on our Launch a Memory website page and in supporter publications including Lifeboat magazine.

There will also be opportunities to see the lifeboat in Poole (England) before the boat leaves for Wells-next-the-Sea. We will update supporters when we have more definitive timings.

Supporters are responsible for checking the name before submitting it to ensure that it is spelt correctly, contains the correct details, and is submitted as they wish the name to appear on the decal of the Lifeboat. In the event of a name being submitted incorrectly please contact us as soon as possible at launchamemory@rnli.org.uk and we will endeavour to help resolve it.

Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that they will be next to each other. In general the names will be arranged in the order they were submitted by supporters. However, the names will be arranged in a way that best fits within the shape of the decal.

Please note you will only receive a confirmation email if you provided us with your email address when submitting your loved one’s name. Apologies if you haven’t received a confirmation email – please contact us either by email launchamemory@rnli.org.uk or phone our Supporter Experience team 0300 300 0061 (UK) / 01 511 9871 (Ireland).

We aim to send out all Launch a Memory certificates within 8 weeks of the submission. We send these certificates out by email, as a PDF attachment. We often find that our emails end up in our supporter’s junk/spam folders, so it’s worth checking there if you haven’t already. If you are still missing a certificate then our apologies for this, please contact us at launchamemory@rnli.org.uk and we can get this emailed out to you.

The lifeboat is scheduled to arrive at Wells Lifeboat Station in 2022, but the exact date is yet to be confirmed (delays could occur due to Covid-19).

We’ve had a very difficult year in terms of income due to Covid-19, and with a bumper summer expected due to lack of international travel, we felt the best way to recoup some of our lost donations, was to increase the suggested donation to £50. This figure is only suggested, and you are more than welcome to make a donation below, or above this.