Busiest year yet At the RNLI’s AGM on 17 May, Chairman Admiral Sir Jock Slater gave an overview of 2006, the charity’s busiest year ever.

Lifeboat crews launched 8,377 times in 2006, an average of 23 times a day, rescuing 8,015 people. Lifeguards assisted 10,448 people in 9,411 incidents. Together, the RNLI’s lifeboat crews and lifeguards saved 299 lives.

The rollout of the B class Atlantic 85 lifeboat continued in 2006. There are now 10 on station and 6 in the relief fl eet. Tamar class all-weather lifeboats went on service at Padstow, Peterhead, Tenby and Longhope.

Three more Tamars are due on service this year, while trials of the Fast carriage boat 2, which will start replacing the Mersey class in 2010, continue.

The exceptionally generous response of supporters to the RNLI’s request for help in 2006 brought in a record amount: £126.8M. Of this, £13M was volunteer-led and £83.5M from legacies. This increased income enabled previously delayed projects to be taken up again, notably lifeboat building (see opposite) and shoreworks (see page 36). Contact supporter Care for your copy of the Annual Review, Annual Report and Accounts and 5-year RNLI Plan or see rnli.org.uk or see rnli.org.uk .