Southport Lifeboat reveals busiest ever year as they look forward to new station opening

Southport Lifeboat has undergone its busiest ever year in 2021, as crew members thanked local people for their support. 

Volunteers from the life-saving service dealt with all kinds of emergencies, from helping stranded vessels off the coast, to promoting their It’s Behind You safety campaign – to helping the Royal navy with an unexploded bomb! 

They are looking forward to some good news in 2022 with the official opening of their brand new Southport Lifeboat Station on Marine Drive. 

A Southport Lifeboat spokesperson said: “As another challenging year comes to an end, we would like to take this time to thank the local community and beyond for their support throughout a year of uncertainty. 

“From coins in a collection tin, to running marathons; every donation made by the public has helped our organisation grow.

“As Southport Offshore Rescue Trust continues to grow, so too has the number of service calls. 2021 has been our busiest year to date, with 43 call-outs ranging from assisting Royal Navy bomb disposal experts, to aiding stranded vessels off Southport’s shores.

Read More: First look inside stunning new Southport Lifeboat Station as work nears completion

“Late spring into summer continues to be our busiest time, with nearly 30 taskings in that period alone. In June, on average our crew was called upon once every three days.

“In early April, our crew witnessed criminal damage to our Muir Hill tractor, which suffered a smashed window after being vandalised by youths. Thanks to the tremendous generosity from the public, the repair costs were covered and our tractor was soon-after ready for service.

“In anticipation of another busy summer, our crew began placing safety banners around the Sefton coastline promoting our #ItsBehindYou tide safety campaign. The messages were well received by the public and the positive feedback means that the banners will be back in 2022. “Watch this space!

Work is continuing on the new Southport Lifeboat Station

“Towards the end of this year, our crew were put through their paces at an Immediate Emergency Care and Maritime Casualty Care course. This means that Southport Lifeboat is at the forefront of pre-hospital maritime casualty care in the UK.

“Once again, we worked closely with our local SAR assets, with some taskings calling upon multi-organisational collaboration between ground, sea and air services to help prevent the loss of life along the coast.

“Turning our attention to 2022, we look forward to calling Southport Lifeboat Station our new home. What will be a sad goodbye to a boathouse that has housed lifeboats for nearly a century, the new station will provide much-needed facilities for our crew to continue their life saving work.  Keep an eye on our pages for more information!

“All that is left is to say thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to what 2022 has to offer for Southport Offshore Rescue Trust.

“From all the crew, Happy New Year!” 

The new Southport Lifeboat Station

It costs £60,000 to keep Southport Lifeboat functioning all year round. That is no mean task during ordinary times, let alone the extraordinary times we currently find ourselves in.

Southport Lifeboat is funded entirely through public donations, and is independent of the RNLI.

There are other ways you can help the charity continue to save lives, including joining LifeboatLotto or online donations.

For more details about the emergency service, or if you would like to donate, please visit their website:

http://www.southport-lifeboat.co.uk/

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