The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is a registered charity ( No 206903) and exists to save lives at sea. It provides on call, a 24hr service to cover search and rescue requirements up to 50 miles out from the coast of the UK and the Republic of Ireland .
There are 233 Lifeboat stations around the country including the Lifeboats in the Thames and on Inland waters, Hovercraft also play an important role in saving lives at certain stations in the UK.
There are some 4,600 lifeboat crew around the coasts of the UK and Ireland , of which over 300 are women. They are mostly volunteers who come from many walks of life within their local communities and will readily exchange their leisure, comfort and sleep for cold, wet and fatigue in situations that test their skill, strength and nerve.
Crews spend many hours of their own time training to become skilled and highly efficient, and their lifesaving work is essential, often difficult and sometimes dangerous.
