Lifeboat crews remain committed to saving lives at sea as RNLI donations fall due to coronavirus

The RNLI is facing fresh challenges in the face of Covid-19, but as its long-serving volunteers wind down from one of their busiest summers in memory they remain committed to carrying out rescues around the clock, every day of the year.
The last open day at the RNLI stationThe last open day at the RNLI station
The last open day at the RNLI station

Like many charities, Blackpool RNLI is facing a loss this year due to the pandemic and the lockdown which saw their station shop closed and fund-raisers cancelled.

Meanwhile, the crew has faced a busy summer, with sunny spells causing tourists to flock to the Fylde coast's beaches.

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RNLI helmsman David Warburton, who has 27 years of lifeboat experience, said: "It has been difficult in some ways. What hasn't changed is the fact that we have remained vigilantly on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Blackpool RNLIBlackpool RNLI
Blackpool RNLI

"However, we have been restricted in terms of carrying out training exercises, and restricted in general. Fund-raising has been severely impacted.

"When lockdown first came in, there was probably about two months when the number of call-outs we had reduced significantly, which is to be expected. Then, as there was some easing of lockdown restrictions, that started to increase again. July and August have been very busy, and that's probably been contributed to by people being allowed to travel. Blackpool has been seeing a lot of visitors.

"The summer is generally a busy time for us anyway. But it has been busier than we would normally expect."

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The crew has been launched around 70 times so far this year, with just under a third of these call-outs happening in August alone.

Blackpool RNLIBlackpool RNLI
Blackpool RNLI

David said: "We have had to adapt and develop new ways of going about things. Obviously it is paramount that we protect our volunteers in terms of PPE and being conscious of social distancing - although that's impossible on the lifeboats. On the boats, it's not possible to adhere to that, so that's where the face masks, visors and gloves come in.

"When we respond to call-outs, there's only so many allowed in the station at once to get changed.

"As well as the normal risks associated with being on a lifeboat crew, there's the additional risk of protecting ourselves and others from the virus, not only from each other but from whoever we go out to help."

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Ian Butter, who is Blackpool RNLI's deputy launching authority and chairman of 11 years, said: "This year from March to April, we didn't have a single job. We came out of lockdown and it kicked off with a vengeance. It started on the May Bank Holiday and it'd been busy since then.

"Once we launch we often get called to two or three different jobs, so the number of operations is probably around 80. Because we have got an offshore wind, anyone on a lilo is going in one direction only. A lot of people are getting cut off on the sandbanks."

As well as the high-number of call-outs, the charity must deal with a loss of income due to the cancellation of its annual family fun day, which was supposed to take place on August 31.

It comes at a difficult time, as the team is currently trying to raise £100,000 to replace two of its lifeboats next year.

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David said: "Like every charity in the UK, there has been a big impact on fund-raising. We have had to cancel our open day which usually attracts a lot of visitors. The shop at the station has been closed.

"Hopefully as the months pass by there will be other types of fund-raising that might be promoted, but the bottom line is for the most of 2020 there has been a significant reduction in donations and that's going to have a big impact on the whole of the RNLI, but particularly somewhere like Blackpool which is popular.

"The public are incredibly gracious in raising money to keep us going, but through no-one's fault, this year has been very difficult.

"Local people are always incredibly supportive of the lifeboats and we are very grateful for that. There are lots of people in Blackpool who have been affected in their jobs and businesses, so it's difficult for them as well. I think this has been an unprecedented and extremely tough time for everyone in many different ways."

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Ian said: "In the barest terms, we are taking a loss. We're not seeing the same income levels that we have seen in previous years.

"The latest figures for our family fun day stood at several thousand pounds, and our shop usually does extremely well.

"We're just about to replace two of our lifeboats. We need to raise £50,000 for one boat and we're hoping to get it next year. The boats are kept for as long as possible.

"We're hoping that we will be able to raise that money to buy the boats.It's proving difficult. We're not doing too badly at the moment because we had a good start early on in the year, but when we went into lockdown it became much harder.

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"People who are local to Blackpool know what we do and are very supportive.

"As a lifeboat man, I don't think you can ever be pessimistic. We need to get through these things. At the end of the day we will keep going out to sea and bringing people to shore. But as a station and the RNLI as a whole is looking at how it can reduce costs nationwide, because (Covid-19) will have had an impact on the revenue flow that we survive on."

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