Reply With QuoteAs with many charities, it really shouldn't have to exist.Originally Posted by unclealec
Agree wholeheartedly.
I hope I haven't missed a thread about this - today marks the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
There is much about this on the main media; the one biggie in my head is that the most professionally-equipped state of the volunteers and vessels is achieved entirely by public subscription.
Heroes all.
Last edited by unclealec; 4th March 2024 at 11:41.
As with many charities, it really shouldn't have to exist.
Agree wholeheartedly.
A properly named Institution
The RNLI is truly a National treasure.
As a regular user of the waters round our shores, I am always grateful for the cover they offer.
My dad was an RNLI fundraiser on our local committee for about 50 years. Time well spent
In the early days they ran short of money and asked the Govt. for a grant. The Govt. gave them a couple of grand, but laid out such stringent conditions that the RNLI told them to fork off after a couple of years. Also, it had been noticed that voluntary contributions dropped by more than the grant when it became known that there was Govt. funding.
Once the Govt. had been run out of town, contributions once again shot up massively, far more than the two grand.
A wonderful institution that I am pleased to donate to.
Cheers,
Neil.
Seconded, amazing people
Blue Peter appeals were awesome
Sent from my M2101K6G using Tapatalk
One of the very few charities I donate to, having being raised on the SW Cornwall coast and worked at sea.
As a keen boater out of Portland it's reassuring to know that there is a local station on hand if needed.
We always support the RNLI when we can and urge others to do so.
True heroes.
The only charity we donate to on a regular basis, - ordinary folk doing extraordinary thing's.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
I suppose it will be viewed as controversial to mention but I wonder if the ordinary person could rely on their services in the dover/folkestone area or whether all their boats would be collecting migrants
And as another aside friends of mine were rescued many years ago when they were young and stupid in the Littlehampton area when they went out in an unseaworthy speedboat. They were given a severe dressing down and told that because of their reckless behaviour they were putting other people at risk as the lifeboat resources were limited...
[/QUOTE]I suppose it will be viewed as controversial to mention but I wonder if the ordinary person could rely on their services in the dover/folkestone area or whether all their boats would be collecting migrants[/QUOTE]
Provocative BP material.
[/QUOTE] And as another aside friends of mine were rescued many years ago when they were young and stupid in the Littlehampton area when they went out in an unseaworthy speedboat. They were given a severe dressing down and told that because of their reckless behaviour they were putting other people at risk as the lifeboat resources were limited...[/QUOTE]
IMHO Folk need making aware that actions have consequences.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
I don’t think it’s necessarily Bear Pit material, it’s work the RNLI do and their own website is pretty open and clear about it, including any impacts on ‘business as usual’.
https://rnli.org/footer/faqs/our-wor...-channel-faqs#
I work with a guy who crewed a lifeboat up in the North East, his Father was a Coxswain before him, all the volunteers from fundraisers through to crews deserve our thanks, and money.
Okay - benefit of the doubt apologies to redmon.
Last edited by number2; 4th March 2024 at 18:09.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
It saddens me that a thread dedicated to honouring the work of the RNLI and the bravery of their volunteers could be commandeered for political purposes.
But given recent examples I suppose I should have seen it coming.
You raise an obviously legitimate point here and it would be very disingenuous to overlook it in this thread.
I was brought up in a coastal town and as a kid I remember being down by the docks when the alarm went off once, and seeing the volunteers rushing into the lifeboat station. I used to donate often. But I won't help to fund something as anti-social as a ferry service for the illegal migrants attempting to take advantage of our hospitality. Sad to see the RNLI's reputation so decidedly tarnished this last few years.
Of course it’s BP material - the poster wasn’t asking a genuine question, rather making a political point.
Brand new £8million RNLI lifeboat station closes because of 'serious breakdown in relationships' among crew
not all rosy or hero's then in the institution, woke creping in ?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...hips-crew.html
I don’t know the poster, nor claim to know his/her politics or motivations.
As the RNLI (a non-political organisation) website goes to the trouble of addressing such questions, they must be commonly asked, there’s no need at all to make it political, just keep it factual.
I've seen the vitriol on official RNLI social media posts, pretty much the first reply made that "sponsoring illegals" comment, it really is a blinkered view held by some but similar could be said of a lot of social media unfortunately.
Pretty sure they cover more than just a bit of the English Channel and admire anyone who puts themselves through that, I get queezy just watching on TV
Has form for anti-immigrant views, just troublemaking here.
We donated to the RNLI launch a memory the collection we took at my father’s funeral.
His name is now on the new Invergordon Shannon class lifeboat. As he worked on the water we thought it a fitting memorial for him.
Fair enough, no good deed goes unpunished, as the saying goes!
A very fitting tribute to your Father, I’d not heard of the Launch a Memory campaign before, but will try to get on the next launch to remember somebody we recently lost.
Having googled it, his name must be on the Agnes AP Barr?
Yeah, that’s the boat. His name seems to be on there 3 times, or 2 other people have the exact same name, which is unlikely as we used his middle name as well.
It's a shame that the bravery and dedication of the RNLI volunteers has had a shadow cast over it by the recent goings on in the Channel. They are obviously just doing what they do, and rescuing people who are in danger from inadequate and unsafe boats and equipment. I do believe they are being exploited by cynical criminals relying on their limited resources.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
There’s no shadow, indeed to their credit they risk their lives helping anyone in distress.
Hear, hear.
This ^^.
Plus people forget that the UK isn't just the South East. There's a whole heap of coastline out there with often far more challenging environments than the channel.
The RNLI are an organisation for which I hold the utmost respect.
I've been involved with them for decades now, seen them out on on live calls and been on boats that've been stood by on assistance. Many crew are multi-generational family members and one of our local stations has a father and his two sons on call.
A documentary about the Penlee Lifeboat disaster that's well-worth watching.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
The small-mindedness of those that would try to de-rail a post in praise of the RNLI is pretty sad to witness.
Theirs is a charity that has a simple aim, to save the lives of those in danger on the sea. Whatever the circumstances.
I'd like those that suggest the RNLI are immigrant facilitators to consider the other side of the coin.
Can you imagine the conscience of those who could help if a boat with many tens of people was lost, and they could have saved them?
Or the headlines against the RNLI if that happened?
The RNLI sometimes gets the unenvious job of clearing up after other people's mistakes.
But you cannot fault them for it.
Just thank them and be on your way.
RNLI has probably benefitted most from all my visits to the UK, since my spare cash often ended up in a jar in the pub ;)
Living in a (rich) coastal town myself I still find it amazing we haven't got such a great service, something to be proud of.
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
Hear hear, Dave.
Seems to me some folk would rather let migrants die than allow them succour.
A 200 year old charity whose sole purpose is to save lives in danger is getting grief for not picking and choosing the lives it saves. Got it.
+1
I left one forum because the site owner was perfectly happy to allow posts such as "they should be machine gunned on the beaches" or "just let the dinghies sink"! It was infested with a number of ignorant and small minded people. It's sad to see there seem to be similar people on here!
If only the Government would open legal routes for genuine asylum seekers - there'd be no need for the Lifeboats to save them, and they'd stop the gangs that are making money out of these poor people at a stroke!
Best Regards - Peter
I'd hate to be with you when you're on your own.
http://x.com/RNLI/status/1420319266746871834?s=20
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Not controversial. Vile.
David
Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations
I was lucky enough to grow up in a village with it's own independent volunteer lifeboat, funded and crewed by the inhabitants.
Anyone willing to do the work, RNLI or otherwise, deserves a huge amount of credit.
Last edited by gunner; 5th March 2024 at 16:05.
All that's left of the UK's first Lifeboat Station
Best Regards - Peter
I'd hate to be with you when you're on your own.
+1
My father was member of the lifeboat for many years, and even after he could no longer pass the medical to be an active crew member he volunteered as assistant mechanic for the boat.
I have some lovely memories over the years, alongside some less fortunate grim experiences, but they do bloody good job and save lives.
It's just a matter of time...
Really enjoyed the Grace Darling museum, do visit if ever near Bamburgh.
When we moved to the UK when I was a child we lived in Poole in Dorset, by the sea. I was also a Sea Scout and we spent many hours with RNLI volunteers and their boats.
Fantastic organisation that I'm proud to donate to, staffed by brave and selfless people. Something we should be very proud of.
Superb film but a tough watch. I was 12 when the Solomon Browne was lost, I remember it well. Nigel Brockman's son, left ashore that night, became Coxswain on the new boat. As someone said upthread, ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Trevelyan Richards' RNLI Gold Medal was stolen from the RNLI HQ at Poole in a robbery - it was never recovered.
Heroes indeed. Can only echo the other sentiments that say how insane it is that this is a charity and not actually paid for from taxation. Their job must be unspeakably terrifying in some conditions.
The French equivalent are also volunteers (SNSM). It is a tradition between sailors, long before the state even thought about it.
However, those in charge of safeguarding the beaches (lifeguards), trained by the SNSM, are paid by the towns whose beaches they secure.
Also, they are summoned to action by state services (CROSS) who monitor maritime zones, and can also call on French Navy ressources (ships, helicopters...) as required.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Can’t see anyone saying this TBH.
Some of the top comments in the thread question the fact that it has to exist as a charity and talking a about lack of government grants.. if not funded through general taxation, then how else would it exist if not for charity?!
They do very well as a charity - and if memory serves, the administrators want to keep it that way.
Yes of course, w/o government grants it exists because of charity but no one I can see here is questioning this (maybe just stating the fact) or calling it insane.
RNLI beach lifeguards are also paid wages, part of the cost of that is funded by the beach operators whilst the remainder comes from voluntary contributions.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
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