Just waving a little flag for the RNLI - all those volunteers putting themselves at risk to rescue the victims of accidents, equipment failures, rough weather or - in some cases - outright stupidity! No judgement, just rescue. We get a lot of people cut off by the tide around Wirral's coasts; West Kirby, Hoylake and New Brighton lifeboats (Hoylake has a hovercraft to deal with mud and shallows) are well placed to go to the rescue.
I've never needed their services myself, and I hope none of you have, but I'll raise a glass to them tomorrow.
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We always support the RNLI despite living as far from the sea as it probably possible to do in the UK! WE always buy our Christmas Cards from one of their bases on our trips around the country.
We support the RNLI but apparently they are having use issues retaining staff due to pen pushers at the HQ. I know of two stations where all the staff have quit due to high handed practice by bosses.
There have been a few articles in Mail about it. Volunteers quit at Phwelli leving it with only a small RIB. A lot of crew resigned at New Brighton too. That's a huge amount of local knowledge and experience gone.
All due to bean counters and administrative types at Poole who sat in front of a screen and never go out on a lifeboat.
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
Maybe they should send all the admin people out on a nice bouncy training exercise to do a 'man overboard' drill. It might focus their minds! I seem to recall a similar 'bureaucracy overload' issue with GirlGuiding some years ago. Less focus on ticking boxes, more focus on the frontline, please!
When the local RNLI shop's open I buy my diary, calendar and sometimes tea towels and bits for the grandsons there; better than paying postage from the website.
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As a frequent CalMac ferry user, I support RNLI stations at Troon & Oban. (If you specify the station, the donation goes to them & not into the general “pot”.)
Like giving blood: you never know when you’ll need to benefit yourself.
A big shout out to all the Mountain Rescue teams too, similarly all volunteers putting themselves at risk.
Large sections of society run on volunteers, Fiona, agreed. My daughter's mother-in-law fell badly on Eryri years ago and needed their services; son-in-law is running a half-marathon later this month in Aid of Eryri Mountain Rescue. If all volunteers stepped down the place would be in a sorry state, the official emergency services couldn't cope.
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There's been a concerted effort by certain sections of the press to demonise RNLI for a couple of years and reporting staffing issues goes to the heart of this line of attack.
I've been a volunteer for years and worked in a professional capacity with a voluntary organisation for a few years. Employer/employee relationships are difficult as volunteers can quickly believe as they aren't employees and don't get paid, the usual employer/employee relationships aren't required.
In a multi million pound turnover business like RNLI (£220m per annum!) and 10,000 'staff' they have to be run as a business. It is no surprise that occasionally there will be decisions made which some people (generally with years of service) don't like and there will be fall outs between volunteers, as there are with employees in any large organisation.
They still provide an amazing service and will be around in 200 years time. If I ever end up living by the sea I'd happily put in a few hours to help.
I come from Deal,in Kent originally. They have an RNLI station. When we visit we normally have a chat with folk at the station and give some cash.
Hopefully that is used at that station.
Living in Shropshire we have no coast, but rivers and canals!
The fire and rescue have small inflatable boats for the rivers.
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
I watched the livestream of the service and was intrigued by the big yellow box on the altar. Turns out it contained a large commemorative scroll which is now doing the rounds of all the RNLI stations to be signed at each one - a lovely idea.
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