In its 140th year of saving lives at sea, New Brighton lifeboat station saw a new arrival in October 2004. The inshore rescue hovercraft, to be named Hurley Spirit, will play a vital role in the RNLI's lifesaving operations on the mudflats of the Mersey and Dee estuaries, reaching casualties in areas where traditional lifeboats cannot operateMrs Kay Hurley MBE, who has donated the funds for this craft and for the RNLI's first station hovercraft, Hurley Flyer, watched as Hurley Spirit was put through her paces.

Mrs Hurley said: 'I was born in the middle of England, as far away from the sea as you can get, and when I first heard about the RNLI I thought it was magical - the boats and the crews just seemed to appear from nowhere when they were needed.

Now I'm older and I know more about the RNLI, but the magic remains. The volunteer crews are wonderful and I'm so pleased to be able to help them in this way.' The RNLI's Hovercraft Operations Manager, Tony Stankus, said: 'AH along this coastline there are vast areas of exposed mud at low tide where there is a real danger of people getting caught out.

Without a hovercraft, reaching people who are stuck in the mud is much slower and more risky. The hovercraft, manned by highly trained volunteer crews, is expected to establish itself quickly as a vital resource.' New Brighton Lifeboat Operations Manager, Peter Shillinglaw, commented: 'This area is becoming increasingly popular with tourists, and even more people will be visiting now that Liverpool is European Capital of Culture 2008. The sea, the rivers and the beaches will be busier than ever and stationing the hovercraft here will improve the RNLI's rescue capability along this stretch of coastline. This is an exciting new chapter in the life of New Brighton lifeboat station, and we are extremely grateful to Mrs Hurley for her wonderfully generous donation.' The new hovercraft is due to go on service early in 2005 when she will complement Rock Light, New Brighton'sinshore lifeboat (funded by a Port and City of Liverpool appeal), as well as the other lifeboats along the Wirral coastline.The hovercraft fleet: H-001 Molly Rayner - a relief/train ing hovercraft based at Poole H-002 Hurley Flyer- stationed at Morecambe H-003 Hunstanton Flyer - stationed at Hunstanton H-004 Vera Ravine - stationed at Southend-on-Sea H-005 Hurley Spirit - stationed at New BrightonLifeboat Eurostars Hastings lifeboat came to ourTV screens recently in a commercial for Eurostar.The advert celebrated 10 years of the cross-channel train and sees 'Bognor Birdmen' jumping off Hastings pier dressed in all sorts of weird and wonderful contraptions. The lifeboat was on standby during the filming and highlighted an important safety message about pierjumping.

As a thank you, the company gave Hastings lifeboat station a £200 donation and some Lifeboat Lottery tickets. Eurostar's Advertising Manager Catherine Sharp said: 'I'd like to thank the team at Hastings for ensuring that the shoot could take place with the safety of our birdmen paramount, allowing the rest of the team to focus on the shoot itself. A big "thank you" to everybody at the RNLI who helped make it possible.'The RNLI's fourth annual public lecture took place recently at Southampton University. With a theme of marine safety and associated medical issues the Chairman of the RNLl's Medical and Survival Sub-Committee, Surgeon Rear Admiral Frank Golden (pictured), presented the lecture entitled: 'Many are cold, but few are frozen'. The lecture concentrated on the effects of cold and exposure on the human body when people fall overboard from ships or have to scramble for life rafts and considered how engineers can design equipment to best serve survivors.

During the lecture, Admiral Golden said: 'In common with many naval architects, the RNLI carries out a great deal of research into improving the sa and comfort of those it rescues. We need to understand the science behind common mec problems, such as exposure, so that our.

continue to save lives and rescue those in di1: the most effective way possible.' 3Ol «. ui igineering Sciences, said: 'We have a very good relationship with the RNLI and its engineering te~ We were delighted to have someone of Admiral Golden's stature speaking at this year's lecture.'Nelson expects...

to wear a lifejacket On what would have been his 246th birthday, on 29 September 2004, Admiral Nelson and his lover Emma Hamilton (well, actors playing their characters) boarded an RNLI lifeboat and, more in tune with modern safety guidelines than Nelsonian traditions, donned lifejackets. They then jetted up the River Thames to help launch SeaBritain 2005.

SeaBritain 2005 is a maritime celebration on a grand scale and is led by the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, with many leading national and regional bodies including the RNLI. There will be events ranging from small local community walks to international festivals celebrating the ways in which the sea touches all of our lives.

The inspiration for SeaBritain 2005 is the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar and Admiral Lord Nelson's finest and last hour. At the heart is the Trafalgar Festival with special celebrations, re-enactments and commemorations during the summer of 2005 and ending with the Trafalgar Weekend of 21-23 October 2005.

Check out the RNLI events throughout the year via www.mli.org.uk or at www.seabrttain2005.com.Lifeboat crew are sometimes called upon to rescue children at sea but occasionally they are also able to provide children on land with 'the best experience of their lives'.

Hotyhead lifeboat crew recently played host to a group of children from Chernobyl in the Ukraine, the site of the infamous nuclear reactor explosion. As part of a month-long holiday organised by the Caernarfon Chernobyl Children's Lifeline, the children were treated to a trip to the seaside. Ray Steadman.the volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer at Holyhead said:'We felt a visit would not be complete without a tour of the lifeboat station. It was a wonderful day, not only for the children but also for the crew, who got so much out of the visit.1 One little boy described the visit to the station as 'the best experience of my life' - a comment that brought tears to the eyes of many of the crew. They had an impromptu collection to allow some souvenir shopping before the happy group returned to their host families.

This is just one of many visits each year to lifeboat stations by children from Chernobyl. Such a holiday helps them to recuperate from the effects of radiation sickness and can add up to three years to their life expectancy. These visits are sure to be one of the best experiences for lifeboat crew members too.Lifeboatp camera, action! The RNLI's Annual Presentation of Awards is always a stirring occasion (see page 13) and 2004 saw an addition to the usual running list: a film summary of the past year. A similar film will be made for the 2005 event and readers of the Lifeboat are invited to contribute any suitable video material for inclusion.

If you have something you think might be usable please check that it is RNLI related (perhaps involving fundraising or station footage) and nationally newsworthy (such as fundraising at an unusual venue or involving a celebrity). The RNLI's Film and Image Manager Eleanor Driscoll will be pleased to advise on 01202 663182 or by email at [email protected]. The RNLI will need full reproduction rights for the footage.

Please send any contributions to Eleanor at RNLI headquarters by 7 February 2005.

Eleanor says: 'I won't be able to acknowledge receipt but will endeavour to return all your videos once we've made our selections. Thank you for your help!Sixty years ago the crew of The Mumbles lifeboat fought raging seas to save the lives of 42 men on board HMCS Chebogue. In 1944, the Canadian frigate was torpedoed by a U-boat while escorting an Atlantic convoy, losing eight men and sustaining considerable damage.

After a tow of nearly 900 miles she arrived in Swansea Bay where the weather deteriorated dramatically. On 11 October, lashed by gale force winds and squalls, the tow parted and HMCS Chebogue drifted across the bay and grounded on PortTalbot Bar.

The Mumbles motor lifeboat Edward, Prince of Wales rushed to her aid. An hour and a half later, after twelve hazardous circuits of the wreck, Coxswain Gammon and his crew, at considerable risk to themselves, had rescued all 42 aboard HMCS Chebogue by taking the lifeboat close enough for the men to jump to safety. Lt Cdr Ian McPhee fell between the boats but was pulled from the sea by the Coxswain: it was reportedly 'little short of a miracle.' In a service of thanksgiving on 11 October 2004, special tributes were paid to Coxswain William Gammon, who had been awarded the RNLI Gold Medal for his skilful seamanship during the daring rescue.

Messages were received from his children in Canada; the RNLI President, HRH The Duke of Kent; and the Canadian High Commissioner Mel Cappe, who sent the nation's deepest gratitude to those who exposed themselves so selflessly to such danger for their fellow seafarers.

Thirty years earlier, on 30 October 1914, the First World War hospital ship Rohilla ran aground in horrific weather conditions. Of the 229 people on board, 84 lost their lives. The rescue took place over three days and RNLI lifeboatmen battled colossal seas to bring 145 survivors to safety. Six RNLI lifeboats from Whitby, Upgang, Scarborough,Teesmouth andTynemouth - most of them rowing boats - were involved in the rescue. To mark the 90th anniversary, a special service of remembrance took place in Whitby, Yorkshire and families of those who died and of the survivors attended.Seamanship awards Coxswain Andy Howells of St Mary's lifeboat, Isles of Scilly, and Filey Helmsman Michael'Pip' Farline have both been presented with seamanship awards by the Shipwrecked Mariners' Society. Andy won the Lady SwaythlingTrophy for an outstanding feat of seamanship, following the rescue of a badly injured sailor 40 miles from shore in October 2004. Pip was awarded the Emile Robin Award for an outstanding rescue by a British ship in recognition of his courageous part in the rescue of a woman and teenage girl in treacherous sea conditions on 15 August 2003. (See the spring 2004 issue of the Lifeboat for a full account of both rescues).

A kite for the College The Lifeboat College at Poole has recently been awarded full membership of the International Association of Conference Centres (IACC). This recognises that the College is a high-quality venue and provides some of the most productive meeting facilities in the world.

To obtain this prestigious membership the College had to meet some very stringent standards in 30 different criteria and it is a 'kite mark' for the highest standard of facilities in the conference sector.Thank you, boss! When lifeboat volunteers rush to the lifeboat station, they quite often need to leave their place of work.

They could be away for several hours, up to five times a week. With more than 8,000 lifeboat launches last year it's a lot of time away from the work place and the RNLI is extremely grateful to the companies that allow their employees to volunteer for the RNLI.

Recently, Largs Yacht Haven on the Firth of Clyde, has been awarded an Employer's Certificate of Appreciation for giving staff time to save lives at sea. Over the last 20 years, Largs Yacht Haven has consistently employed staff who are also members of the Largs lifeboat crew.

Director Carolyn Elder (pictured) said: 'We are delighted to receive this award from the RNLI. We are always keen to support the work of the RNLI and this demonstrates that our staff are keen seafarers and responsible boat handlers.' Other recent employers who have received the Employer's Certificate of Appreciation are: Blyth and Sons Ltd, Sheringham; Skretting UKJ P Knight (Caledonian) Ltd,Alness/lnvergordon Medical Group, Talisman Energy UK, Cromarty Firth Port Authority and Whyte & Mackay Ltd - all of Invergordon; Parker Pen Company, Sussex Ambulance NHS Trust and Specialised Banking Furniture International Ltd - all of Newhaven; and D C Osbourne Ltd from Walmer. Thank you to all employers for allowing RNLI volunteers to continue to save lives at sea..