2009 busiest year ever for RNLI
2009 was the busiest year on record for RNLI lifeboat crews and lifeguards. The RNLI's rescue service is not confined to the open sea. During the November floods in Cumbria the RNLI's Flood Rescue Team helped hundreds of Cockermouth's residents reach safety
With the number of annual lifeboat launches exceeding 9,000 for the first time in the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's (RNLI) 186-year history, the charity is calling on the public to support its biggest day of fundraising on Friday 29 January.
Volunteer lifeboat crews across the UK and Ireland launched a total of 9,154 times in 2009, rescuing 8,186 people. The charity's lifeguards also had their busiest year, responding to 13,588 incidents and assisting 15,954 people – the highest number since the service began in 2001.
The RNLI's rescue service is not confined to the beach or open sea. During the November floods in Cumbria the RNLI's Flood Rescue Team helped hundreds of Cockermouth's residents reach safety, showing that the RNLI charity can touch the lives of anyone at any time, whether at the coast or even in their own homes if the worst happens during a flood emergency.
The RNLI, a charity that is independent of Government and reliant on donations, is calling on the public to respond to its own call for help by supporting RNLI SOS Day this week on Friday, 29 January. RNLI Operations Director, Michael Vlasto, says by raising funds the public will be helping the RNLI to go on saving lives in what the charity predicts will be the most difficult year since the current economic downturn began. He comments:
