Help make a new station in Wandsworth a reality
Your RNLI lifesavers on the Thames desperately need a new lifeboat station. We need your support to help us raise the final £300,000 needed for this £2.9M project*?
Courageous lifeboat volunteers on the Thames have been saving lives since 2002. All this time, the crew, who are currently based in Chiswick, have been launching to rescue from a small, shared building. The lease is now concluding, and we have an opportunity to give our volunteers a permanent home that is fit for the future.
The RNLI is a charity, and like all our crews, these volunteers rely on the generous support of people like you to save lives. So, by helping to fund a new RNLI lifeboat station, you’ll not only be a lifesaver for our volunteers, but for the people who rely on their critical search and rescue service.
‘The new lifeboat station will provide modern facilities for our crew, and a place to welcome the public. It will help us save lives for decades to come.
‘Moving from Chiswick to Wandsworth Riverside will put the boat and its crew in the best possible place to save lives. Currently, around 70% of our shouts are eastwards, towards the city. We estimate that moving to the new station will reduce our average emergency response time by 1 minute and 20 seconds. That time could mean the difference between life and death. Every moment counts on the tidal Thames.
‘It will bring our whole crew together in one place, one home. We’ll be able to help and support each other much more effectively than we’ve ever been able to do before. With bespoke and vastly improved training, rest and recuperation space, it will make a huge difference to our volunteers’ wellbeing.
‘And it will allow us to continue our lifesaving work, but better. The new public engagement area will be so important for our water safety and education work. We’ll be able to welcome more people and offer them a better experience. It will allow us to educate larger groups of children, to share more water safety tips, to build awareness and to rally more support for the charity generally. It’s a platform for the future.
‘Thank you for your generosity.’
Wayne Bellamy
Station Manager
Chiswick Lifeboat Station
4,616 launches
193 lives saved
2,538 people aided
65+ volunteer crew
Figures from January 2002 to 10 April 2024
The Thames is more than just a river. It’s a commercial, tourist and transport artery that touches the lives of millions of people. It’s also incredibly dangerous. Fast and powerful currents, huge tides, hidden objects and debris make it one of the most hazardous stretches of water in the UK. It’s very cold too. When you combine these conditions with the sheer number and range of people on and around the river, you begin to see the challenges we face every day.
On the tidal Thames, fine margins make all the difference when it comes to saving lives. That's why the fastest lifeboats and a 90-second launch time are vital. It's why we also need crews on duty around the clock. Our crew, made up of 65 seagoing volunteers and 25 shore volunteers, come from all walks of life. They’re on-duty for 12-hour shifts, at least twice a month. The crew live and sleep on station, so they’re ready to respond at a moment’s notice.
You can be a lifesaver today by helping to provide the facilities we so urgently need to carry on saving people. Your kindness will help save lives.
By supporting our appeal, you will make a lifesaving difference. We’ll have a space to be able to bring people in, educate and engage with them, and inspire future generations of lifesavers.