On a very sunny day at Canal House, Nottingham, Ritchie Clarke (NIRAS Group UK), Chairman of BFBi North of England & Scottish Section, presented a £1000 “big cheque” from monies raised at their 2023 Annual Lunch.
Ann Jordan RNLI Ambassador attended to receive the cheque, giving a little history of the charity and scope of the monies raised.
RNLI was founded in 1824 by Sir William Hillary. Over the last 200 years the RNLI has saved an astonishing 144,000 lives. The RNLI has 238 lifeboat stations situated across the United Kingdom, 449 lifeboats and 5,600 crew members, 97% of which are volunteers.
RNLI spent £160 million in 2022 to run their operations. Launching 9,000 lifeboats, aiding 13,000 people, and saving 408 lives in the last year.
In 2021, 1,646 RNLI lifeguards provided cover on 145 beaches across the UK and Channel Islands. Their presence was needed as they attended 18,180 incidents, helped 40,762 people, and saved 112 lives. To provide a full kit to one crew member can cost the RNLI £2,400.
It cost £159.6M/€189.9M to run the lifesaving service in 2021 and for every £1/€1 donated, 83% (83p/83c) is used to fund their lifesaving activities. The remaining 17% (17p/17c) is used to generate funds so that they can continue to save lives at sea for years to come.
Ann noted that the RNLI couldn’t be more grateful for the generous contribution made and stated the money raised would help the RNLI is the following areas:
- Lifeboats, property, and equipment 56%
- Running the lifeboat service 27%
- Lifeguard rescue 12%
- Safety, education, and awareness 4%
- International drowning prevention 1%
BFBi thanks all those who contributed to the Northern Lunch raffle and know that their monies will be well used.
Click here to view photos from the 2023 BFBi Northern and Scottish Luncheon
