'Thankyou for saving my life': Fylde coast shows support for RNLI
“I think it is so disrespectful to criticise men and women who leave their jobs at short notice and brave sometimes treacherous seas to save souls whatever their circumstances.”
Praise for the Blackpool RNLI Station has poured in amid the terrible national abuse inflicted upon the lifesaving service in recent days.
Blackpool RNLI released a heartfelt message which had been sent into the station earlier this week, and since then, other Fylde coast natives have offered their support to the charity.
One man, Steven Thornton, said: I'd just like to say I have struggled badly with mental health issues and the RNLI have not once but 3 times saved my life. I’d just like to say I'm now a different person and will enjoy being a grandad. Thank you RNLI for saving my life.”
Another local, Kevin Peter Hodgson, added: “Such a shame the bad press this wonderful organisation is getting and so much undeserved. I know two volunteers and the unpaid time they give in saving lives shows the RNLI as it should be shown. Well done and thank you to all the wonderful crews and volunteers. We are all proud of you.”
The RNLI has come under massive national scrutiny recently after volunteers on the South Coast were targeted by protestors for saving migrants crossing the English Channel.
Some volunteers have been individually targeted and threatened, forcing the charity into taking funds away from lifesaving to pay for increased security measures.
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Thankfully, on the Fylde coast, support for the RNLI remains unwavering.
Frances Penton added: “I could not believe what I was seeing. The RNLI is there for those in peril on the sea. That includes illegal migrants. It should not be bullied and threatened by people too cowardly to show their faces. Shame on them
“I think it is so disrespectful to criticise men and women who leave their jobs at short notice and brave sometimes treacherous seas to save souls whatever their circumstances.”