A couple of years ago Selsey Lifeboat Station had to fall in-line with national RNLI policy and stop firing a maroon every time a lifeboat is launched from the station. Fortunately, via word-of-mouth and local papers, we know that the lifeboats at Selsey are kept busy throughout the year. But have you ever wondered what the RNLI do nationally in one year? At their AGM in May they published the folowing figures, it makes interesting reading.
3,230 Lifeboats launched in times of darkness
1,958,581 Preventative actions taken
17,320 Children learned safety messages in the
'Beach in the City' education programme
8,313 People rescued by lifeboat crews - that's an
average of 23 per day.
10,758 Hours lifeboat volunteers spent saving lives at sea
£7 million RNLI Christmas cards sold through its shops
and enough rock to cover 131 lengths of an
Olympic Size swimming pool - no I didn't
eat them all!
15 Launches on Christmas Day - do hope their dinners
were kept hot for them.
Information is taken from the latest edition of 'The Lifeboat', and this also includes a fascinating account of a harrowing launch that Hayling Island undertook in March of this year.
If anyone would like me to pass on my copies of 'The Lifeboat' to them, please email me.
