Written by: Angela Saunders, Director of Fundraising and Trustee of The Lifeboat Fund
It’s been another quick year. Also a uniquely important one for The Lifeboat Fund, as we’ve been pulling the stops out to mark our sole beneficiary, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s, 200th Anniversary.
I want to say a heartfelt thanks to everyone who has donated and supported our Civil Service charity in any way. Our friends in the CSPA have donated so generously, in response to our articles in The Pensioner, and we’re immensely thankful to you all.
The Christmas season is when we tend to think about special causes, as well as family and friends, so I hope you’ll forgive this reminder about our charity. There are so many brilliant causes looking for your help – we believe the lifeboat movement is one of them.
I’ve been a Lifeboat Fund trustee for 14 years. I am sometimes asked why this means so much to me. You might just as well ask: why save lives at sea?
For me, it’s simple. It takes little imagination to conjure the panic of someone in great distress, on a stricken vessel or actually in the water. Anyone who’s been rescued by the RNLI will explain those feelings far better than I. The sea is a vast and dangerous place, and even the largest cruiser can be tossed about like a leaf.
The Lifeboat Fund is an unusual charity. It’s a collection of civil servants, serving and retired, across the UK who put in the hours alongside their daily activities, running events, communicating, and meeting with like-minded folk to work on fundraising. Since 1866, when a handful of colleagues first decided to fund a lifeboat for the RNLI, our Civil Service charity has achieved a lot. It has:
- funded 55 lifeboats – whose brave crews have saved over 4,500 lives and rescued 1,000s more people in difficulty
- kitted out and trained crew members and lifeguards
- refurbished lifeboat stations
- helped with the RNLI’s international efforts to combat drowning in the world’s most dangerous waters
In this season, I’m always reminded of the story of a crew member who was driving his grandmother to the family Christmas lunch. Then his pager went off. Grandma told him what to do, and they both headed straight for the lifeboat station. There she waited patiently until he returned several hours later – job done! Without the support of families, the crews couldn’t do their vital work. We must also appreciate them – their waiting can be hard.
The RNLI asks serving and retired civil servants to support its work by donating to The Lifeboat Fund. Our beneficiary wants, and needs, our Appeals to hit their targets. All donations show solidarity with the selfless efforts of the lifeboat community, seeking to bring home safely every one of those they have never known or seen.
Can you help your lifeboat charity show its appreciation this Christmas? You can make donations on this link: The Lifeboat Fund – JustGiving
Thanks again to the CSPA membership for your brilliant support. I wish you and yours a very Happy Christmas and all best for 2025!
