Independent Lifeboat UK News

NEW BOOK - Heavy Weather Powerboating

robert@re-search.org.uk (Robert Bradley) — Tue, 25 May 2010 19:55:28 +0000

Heavy Weather Powerboating

Heavy Weather Powerboating is an exceptional book written by exceptional people. This is one ‘bible’ which should be read by any self-respecting power boater, then berthed on the bookshelf for sober regular reference. Kevin Goulding, Editor, Hot RIBs On Line Magazine.

Folkestone Inshore Rescue launch new boat

robert@re-search.org.uk (Steve Thompson) — Wed, 19 May 2010 07:23:23 +0000

Folkestone Inshore Rescue needed a new rescue boat, but being a tiny charity with very limited funds, there was no way they could afford one. The answer to the problem was actually quite simple though - they decided to build their own.

Successful Event for the I-Lifeboats

robert@re-search.org.uk (Michaela White) — Fri, 14 May 2010 11:06:31 +0000

Last weekend saw the annual Rib Exhibition at Cowes Yacht Haven on the Isle of Wight. The International event attracted thousands of people from all over the world looking for a new boat, equipment or to simply drool at the variety on offer.

TV Personality Bear Grylls opened the event and despite the cold, windy weather the public started flocking through the entrance gate. Appropriately positioned so as not to miss, the first thing you would have seen on entering was Portsea Rescue’s Lifeboat along with a mannequin dressed in full drysuit, lifejacket and rescue equipment... Welcome to the I-Lifeboat stand!

Lifeboat launches lotto that could save your life

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 16:05:08 +0000

Southport Lifeboat is launching a new Lifeboat Lotto, with a cash prize up to £5000 and a special priceless bonus – it could save your life or someone you love.

The lifeboat provides a vital service on a treacherous part of the coast from Southport to Formby but is not supported by the RNLI.

The Lifeboat Lotto will help to raise cash for a desperately needed, new Lifeboat House nearer the sea – to reduce response times in rescues where minutes can be crucial.

Coxswain, Keith Porter said “It costs over £40,000 a year just to keep the Lifeboat on Station. As the residents of Southport will know, we are situated just off Marine Drive in the old Lifeboat house which was built in 1886, and which lacks any basic facilities.

“Having a new Lifeboat House nearer to the sea could make all the difference between life and death during a rescue.
“We need to raise a substantial amount of money to achieve this.

“We get no funding from the RNLI or any other Grant Aid. We really hope the people of Southport will back us by supporting the Lotto and THEIR local lifeboat.

“They will have a chance of winning a great cash prize of up to £5,000 - with the extra bonus that the next life we save could be theirs.”

It’s a Lotto with a difference. Entry is only £2 a week, hardly the price of a pint, and there are no weekly entries to fill in, just pick 4 numbers between 1 and 31 and fill them on the application form. You only need to do this once as your numbers are then registered in the Lifeboat Lotto computer and are entered into each weekly draw for as long as you pay. Paying is easy too, no hands in pockets or purses, payment is made by either cheque for £52 which covers 6 months entries or by monthly or quarterly Standing Order. No cash changes hands -Nothing could be easier.

Match 4 numbers and you will win the roll-over jackpot which starts at £500 and increases by £100 a week until a winner is found. If no one matches the numbers drawn, a winner is guaranteed when the jackpot reaches £5000. Match 3 numbers and win a £20 consolation prize.

The first draw takes place on Wednesday 10th March 2010 and weekly thereafter.

The Lifeboat Lotto team will be out and about, calling on households to ask for your support, they will be easily recognisable with high visibility jackets and full identification.

You can also sign up for the Lifeboat Lotto by collecting an application form from the Southport Lifeboat shop on the corner of Claremont Road and Everton Road in Birkdale or by visiting the Southport Lifeboat website, following the Lotto link and downloading the application form. Once completed, there is a Freepost address to send the form in.

Southport Lifeboat Chairman, Neil Rothwell said “This new lottery will make a direct and vital contribution to saving lives for the people of Southport and Formby. It is also a fun way for us to give something back to our supporters in the form of cash prizes - tax free of course! It will really help to keep your local Lifeboat afloat”

For further information contact: Steve Hoyle, Lottery Promoter, 07860 635495

Are you going orange today?

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:19:23 +0000

Have you thought about what you’re going to do for Go Orange day yet?

This coming Friday sees the launch of a new (hopefully) annual event to raise cash and awareness for the independent lifeboat stations.

Go Orange Day takes place across the UK as well as on the Island and supporters are being asked to do something to help.

Whether that be wearing orange for the day and telling people why, or doing an orange themed sponsored something or other.

Whatever you can do to help will be greatly appreciated by the Independent Lifeboat Stations who rely on funds from the public to keep going.

They do an amazing job and give their time freely, so please consider what you can do to help on this special day.

Get in touch with Michaela White on 812178 if you can help.

Source: ventnorblog.com

Passengers urged to help lifeboat crews

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:11:39 +0000

FUNDRAISERS brandished buckets to ask for cash on ferries today.
They joined a national effort to support the 100 independent lifeboat crews that operate across the country.

On both the Gosport ferries and Isle of Wight services, orange buckets were be passed around.

The day has been dubbed Go Orange for the Indies Day and will benefit eight local units who are members of the Solent Sea Rescue Organisation.

It was set up in 1977 by Hampshire County Council and has saved hundreds of lives. Gosport Councillor Peter Edgar, chairman of the Solent Sea Rescue Organisation, said: 'I hope people will support the charity in these difficult economic times.

'The members give freely of their time and expertise.'

Source: portsmouth.co.uk

Celebrate the work of the independent lifeboat crews

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:50:44 +0000

Norfolk's coastline is protected by lifeboats, whose volunteer crews keep the shores safe and rescue sailors and swimmers in trouble.

But not everyone knows that a third of them are independently run, outside the RNLI, and need to tackle fund-raising as well as life-saving to keep themselves afloat.

In Norfolk there are four independent stations at Mundesley, Sea Palling, Hemsby and Caister.

Some were originally RNLI-run but went on to be independent after several stations were closed during a re-organisation in the 1960s; others have come about through community initiatives.

All crews are made up of volunteers who are on call 24/7 and regularly help the coastguard.

Tomorrow, independent lifeboat crews across the country will be joining forces to raise awareness for the non-RNLI stations.

The public is being urged to join in the day by wearing something orange or holding an “orange” fundraising event for their local lifeboat unit.

A spokesman for Independent Lifeboats UK, which has organised the event, said it was vitally important to raise awareness of the work of independent crews, which need continued support to run at the same high standard for which they have become renowned.

“Our hope is that by all celebrating being independent on the same day we can highlight the number of non-RNLI units around, raising awareness for our causes.

“We will never be as large as the RNLI, but our services in the areas we operate are just as crucial and with rising costs every year it is more important now than ever for our local communities to realise just who we are.”

The independent crew at Caister Lifeboat station deals with call-outs ranging from helping people on capsized vessels to providing help for those taken ill at sea.

Paul Garrod, chairman of the Caister lifeboat service, said the crew would definitely be wearing orange to mark the day and will have various collection pots.

He said: “There is no telling how many call-outs they may have from year to year. Last year they had 45 call-outs, but this year, so far, things have been relatively quiet.

“We need to raise £200,000 a year to maintain the lifeboat. It is very hard work to raise that sort of money, especially because the RNLI is such a well-known organisation, and people do not always realise we are independent.”

The Mundesley Inshore Lifeboat was set up in 1972, and has taken part in the rescue of some 100 people in trouble, including fishing boats, windsurfers, swimmers and divers.

It is made up of approximately 70 people: 20 crew, 15 directors, 15 fundraisers and 20 shop helpers.

Dave Francis, second coxswain with the team, said: “Orange Day is a national scheme that has been set up to publicise the work that independent lifeboats carry out around the coast.

“There are over 50 of us recognised independent lifeboat crews that are operated under the same standards as the RNLI, but completely separate; we receive no government funding.”

Mundesley will be supporting the Go Orange Day by holding an open day on Sunday, from 10am.

Over the weekend the crew will also be seen around the area in orange t-shirts with leaflets promoting Independent Lifeboats.

Hemsby Inshore Rescue Service was founded in 1975 and since then has carried out more than 12,000 callouts at sea and on the Norfolk Broads.

Tomorrow the crew will be holding collections outside Lathams at Potter Heigham, for people to see the Broads lifeboat, and there will also be a crew at Cherry Lane Garden Centre, South View, Fritton.

During the evening the crew, some dressed in full kit, will be visiting pubs in Hemsby and Winterton holding collections.

Palling Volunteer Rescue Service was set up in 1972, and their boat, Lions Roar, is designed to assist dive boats and jet skis.

To help with fundraising towards their annual running expenses, which are between £12,000 and £14,000, they will have their doors open on Sunday morning from 10am.

Source: Yarmouth Mercury

Solent Rescue get new equipment

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:01:43 +0000

New Typhoon drysuits and Baltic Life jackets were presented to the crew of Solent Rescue by Bournemouth based C.F.K Promotions during February, this continued the critical ongoing supporting role has been developed between these two organisations over the last two years.

Cameron Critchfield from Solent Rescue stated:

“CFK have donated in excess of £5,000 to our small lifeboat charity, we really appreciate the time and effort that CFK has invested in us. Going forward, we hope to further enhance our working relationship as without their support, our crew members would not be able to so effectively concentrate on the primary goal of the unit”.

Solent Rescue crew members give up their time all year round to ensure that they are able to put a vessel at the disposal of Her Majesty’s Coastguard when on active service.

"Looking after the busiest recreational water way in the world is by no means an easy task, these people deserve all the help we can give them"

said Mrs Mcmenamin from C.F.K Promotions.

Concerns over private search and rescue service

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 13:46:28 +0000

Last Tuesday saw the announcement at Westminster that the privately financed Soteria consortium would run the “joint search and rescue helicopter project”.

Starting in 2012, Soteria will oversee the UK’s mountain rescue and coastguard services in a 25-year contract worth more than £6 billion. There will be a 70 per cent reduction in the number of military aircrew involved in search and rescue (SAR), with civilians being trained to meet the shortfall.

Much of the initial reaction, in Scotland at least, focused on the potential for job losses. Soteria intends to stop using HMS Gannet at Prestwick as their base in that area, switching instead to Glasgow Airport.

Several Ayrshire MPs and MSPs spoke out, but less was heard about what those actively involved in search and resuce think about the changes.

The Caledonian Mercury contacted two very experienced Scottish SAR people, one from the military side of things, one a civilian volunteer, and asked for their views.

David “Heavy” Whalley is one of the most experienced rescuers in Scotland, having spent 38 years as part of various RAF rescue teams, including three years at the rescue coordination centre at RAF Kinloss. Now retired – but still a very active mountaineer and mountain-rescue consultant – he is the statistician for the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland and is working on his eighth round of Munros.

All of this gives him a considerable understanding of the complexities of SAR. “The contract has been set,” says Whalley, speaking in a personal capacity, “and I pray that they have looked at mountain rescue training with teams on a regular basis. This will ensure that those teams who are not used to the new aircraft become familiarised as soon as possible. Remember, the contracts are being set to make money for the companies, and they do that by cutting down on cost.”

David Dodson is the leader of the Lomond mountain rescue team, comprised of civilian volunteers and covering the area north of Glasgow. At present, his team usually, but not exclusively, works with navy helicopters flying out of HMS Gannet.

Dodson’s main concern is that the new arrangement will allow Soteria-controlled helicopters to operate identically to the current military-controlled ones. “They have always tried to reassure our concerns,” he says, “stating that we ought not to notice any difference in their support of mountain rescue activity. That said, with a commercial operation of SAR, issues such as access to helicopters for training purposes, and limit of flying hours, still have to be finalised.”

As for the switch of helicopter type, from the familiar Sea King to the Sikorsky S92, Dodson notes that the Sikorsky is bigger and heavier and is already being used by the coastguard in the north of Scotland.

“Feedback from some of the teams who have worked with them state that the greater downdraught of the S92 compared with the Sea King is significant. This could cause issues on steep icy slopes.”

Mountain rescue personnel working with the S92 have been advised to wear safety goggles and earplugs.

“The Sea King is desperately needing replaced,” says Whalley, who recalls earlier concerns about a switch of helicopter. “When the Sea King took over from the Wessex [in the early 1990s], there was lots of worry about the downdraft. Mountain rescue teams spent a long time getting used to the changes and adapting to the new aircraft, and in the end we got it right.”

Clearly, for all the done-and-dusted-sounding Westminster announcement, there is still much work to be done on the changeover.

“I would like confirmation that there will be no changes to how SAR aircraft help civilian mountain rescue teams,” says Dodson, “down to having no limits to the numbers of joint exercises for training purposes and no change to availability for callouts.”

As for the move from Prestwick to Glasgow, it could well end up helping the Lomond team. “I sympathise with the ramifications to groundcrew/aircrew and their families,” says Dodson. “But being entirely selfish, the change will increase response time and shorten the time for aircraft to leave the search area for refuelling etc.”

Overall, thus far, the announcement appears to have been greeted with a mix of concern and cautious pragmatism. “These are very interesting times,” says Whalley, “and it will take a lot of work by all parties to ensure that the service to the casualty does not suffer. The RAF, Royal Navy and coastguard helicopters have been magnificent over the years. Hopefully the new aircraft and crews will continue to provide an outstanding service.”

Source: caledonianmercury.com

Independent Lifeboats at Ribex 2010

michaela.white@tesco.net (Michaela) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:03:46 +0000

An agreement has been reached this week for RIBEX 2010 to be formally supporting the Independent Lifeboats of Great Britain.

In recent years, RIBEX has supported the RNLI in terms of allowing them to fund raise, undertake demonstrations, have their craft on display without charge etc, but this year, we thought it fair to give the independent lifeboats of this country exclusive profile.” States RIBEX/RIBFEST Show Organiser, Hugo Montgomery-Swan.

“The ‘independents’ carried almost twice the number of rescues than their counterparts the RNLI, within the Solent in 2009 and we feel this deserves recognition. For our part, at this year’s show therefore, we shall be seeking to reward their extraordinary charitable service by affording them as much exposure as possible. To this end, independent lifeboat services from the region will be providing daily demonstrations and displays in the RIBEX show marina as well as allowing show visitors the chance to sit behind the wheel of a lifeboat and meet the crews on the special static display within the show’s tented village. The independent lifeboats will also be fundraising, not only at the powerboat show but also at RIBFEST, the complimentary one night waterside music concert headlined by Seth Lakeman on the Saturday of the RIBEX show. We are very excited about having these ‘un-sung heroes’ present at this year’s event”, says Montgomery-Swan.