The Heroes of Cumbrian Waters
Saving lives at sea is what hundreds of ordinary men and women at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution do without question on a daily basis. On call for 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, these are the people who put their lives on the line to try and save complete strangers. Our Editor, Rachel Flynn chatted with members of the Workington RNLI to find out about the selfless work they take on.
No one has forgotten the torrential rain that destroyed thousands of Cumbrian homes and businesses across the county shortly before Christmas. In December last year, members of the Workington RNLI prepared for a night of unforeseeable circumstances. Following a quick lesson in flood rescue, volunteers began wading through the dangerous flood water across Cumbria.
Workington RNLI’s lifeboat operations manager, Tim Chittenden, said: “About 16 crew members reported to the lifeboat station on the night of the floods before being briefed by the one of our crew members, Graeme Lawson who was actually trained in RNLI flood rescue as part of the northern team.
Tim continued: “After being told that the situation in Cockermouth was generating fast, they went up to the Gote Road area where they operated in conjunction with the Maryport rescue and the coastguard and they searched about 100 houses, rescued more than 35 people and half a dozen animals, and helped to safety more than 70 people who needed evacuation. They got there about six in the evening and remained there until after midnight. It was very powerful water, the water level was between waist and chest height in most places so they were quite busy.”
Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved at least 140,000 lives; on average rescuing 22 people a day. Volunteers make up 95 per cent of the charity, with 4,600 volunteer lifeboat crew members and 3,000 volunteer shore crew.
Tim added: “The RNLI are so important, they volunteer to save lives at sea. Every year they save around 400 people from drowning but, sadly about 170 people a year still get drowned at sea, although we now have strategies in place to try and half that number over the next few years. I think that sort of success rate justifies the effort that we put into it.
“For me the best part about working for the RNLI is working with keen, motivated enthusiastic volunteers who all put their personal time aside to provide a very important service.”
It’s now our time to give back to the RNLI and thank them for the amazing work they do every day. Next year, Workington’s current all-weather Tyne class lifeboat Sir John Fisher will retire after almost 15 years. Set to be replaced by the newest member of the RNLI fleet, a Shannon class lifeboat, the team are appealing for donations to help them raise the remaining £150,000. The total cost of the Shannon class lifeboat is £2m.
RNLI Coxswain John said: “We’ll really miss our Tyne class lifeboat when she goes, as she has served us proudly since 1992. Naturally though, we’re excited about receiving a Shannon, whose advanced technology means we’ll be able to reach people a lot more quickly and further off shore.”
“We’re incredibly grateful that our new lifeboat has already been part-funded by a generous legacy from the late Mrs Dorothy May White and a substantial donation from the Sir John Fisher Foundation.* However, we still need to raise the remaining £150,000 to turn the lifesaving vessel into a reality.”
Volunteers at the RNLI are not just dedicated to saving lives at sea; they also patrol more than 200 UK and Channel Island beaches and educate 494,000 children on the dangers of the water. When we need them, we really need them and the hard work each and every one of the volunteers puts in to make sure we are safe at sea should never go unnoticed.
To see the volunteers at the Workington RNLI in action, tune into BBC 1’s four part documentary series, Saving Lives At Sea.
The RNLI relies on public donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. To donate, please visit www.rnli.org, text RNLI WORKINGTON to 70300 to donate £5 or donations can also be made via Just Giving at: http://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/rnli/workingtonshannonlifeboatappeal.
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