Poole RNLI lifeboat station is busiest in the country

Preliminary figures released at the end of September by the RNLI indicate that the services of both the charity’s lifeguards, and volunteer lifeboat crews continue to be in demand over the busy summer period despite research showing that awareness of beach safety has increased by 21 per cent since 2008.

RNLI lifeguards in the South West dealt with 7,693 incidents over June, July and August 2009 – an increase of more than 600 compared to last season (7,062 in 2008). And the RNLI’s 35 lifeboat stations in the South West launched 704 times over the same summer period.

The three busiest RNLI lifeboat stations were Poole in Dorset (90 launches), Appledore in Devon (40 launches) and Falmouth in Cornwall (39 launches).  The busiest RNLI lifeguarded areas were Carrick in Cornwall (1,103 incidents), Penwith in Cornwall (988) and Bournemouth in Dorset (977 incidents).

Adrian Carey, RNLI Divisional Inspector for the South Division says:  “…The volunteer crew at Poole lifeboat station were extremely busy this summer launching 90 times – a 45 per cent increase on the same period last year. During the four days of the Bournemouth Air Show alone, the all-weather and inshore lifeboats were called out over 30 times.”

Like last year, the busiest individual beaches for RNLI lifeguards were Perranporth in Cornwall with 479 incidents (375 in 2008) and Weymouth’s main beach with 418 incidents, the same number as 2008, followed by Woolacombe in north Devon where the RNLI lifeguards dealt with 357 incidents (428 in 2008).

As a charity, the RNLI relies totally on the generosity of the public to fund its services. It costs £1,200 per year to train a crew member and £1,000 per season to train and equip a lifeguard.

Anyone wishing to make a donation to the charity can log on to www.rnli.org.uk call 0800 543210 or write to RNLI, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1HZ.

The RNLI offers free all-year-round safety advice for sea users and beach visitors at www.rnli.org.uk