Q What do a gallantry medallist, a member of the Royal Family and a soap star have in common?
A They are all former members of Storm Force!

There’s one group of RNLI supporters we don’t hear about very often: they are lifeboat and lifeguard mad, they raise money in all sorts of inventive ways, send letters and pictures to Headquarters by the truckload and are, quite literally, the future of the charity.

These devoted fans are members of Storm Force, the RNLI’s club for young people, and they had some great news in February when their beloved mascot Stormy Stan got a new crew and their magazine had an exciting makeover. The latest recruits also get a welcome pack that is bound to make them the envy of their school mates.

Why Storm Force?

The RNLI has played a key role in educating young people about water safety for decades and it has a range of programmes and materials to get its messages across. But it has long realised that other, less formal forms of engagement are important too and that nurturing all of these relationships is vital to securing future financial support.

With this in mind, the charity launched Storm Force at the London Boat Show back in 1985 – a fun way for children to be involved in ‘the exciting world of lifeboats’. Young actor Erkan Mustafa (aka Roland Browning of BBC TV’s Grange Hill) became the first to sign up, helping to make the club an overnight success. Membership grew rapidly and, 2 years later, got royal approval when Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips, joined the fold.

A competition to design a club mascot saw one young man creating ‘Stormy Stan the lifeboatman’. Tough and dependable, caring and friendly, Stan soon became the heart and soul of the club. Even today he ‘personally’ replies to every single letter and can often be seen larger-than-life at RNLI events across the UK and RoI.

Growing up

Storm Force magazine is enjoyed by children and adults alike and, although early members have now grown up, that knowledge and enthusiasm has translated into ongoing support. We’re not just talking membership or fundraising – some even go on to be crew members or lifeguards, just like Cleethorpes Helmsman and Gallantry Silver Medallist Gary Barlow who admits: ‘I remember being inspired by the rescue stories in Storm Force magazine!’

Membership held strong for 2 decades but by 2006 it started to wane. This period saw a leap in UK householders installing broadband internet, giving their children access to free, media-rich resources.

It was becoming clear that poor old Stormy wasn’t really cutting it with this new breed of web-savvy kids. But, by the time Storm Force celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2010, the RNLI had completed its research and formed plans to give it a new lease of life.

The new crew

Storm Force needed to refocus on its core members of 5–11 year-olds. So a new chapter began with the search for a new crew for Stan. The children were asked to help by voting for their favourite character ideas and the RNLI’s creative team got to work to flesh out the most popular: the loyal and loveable Mechanic Ruff the dog; Second Coxswain Roger the parrot; Tractor Driver Choppy the cat and Crew Members Petey and Polly Puffin. To bring the gang right up to date it also includes lifeguarding seals Dillon, Grace and Fynn – led by Stan’s niece, Sandy.

Bringing production in-house and making savings on the printing meant that the magazine could more than double in size to 20 pages for a lower cost. The result is a bigger and brighter read with more rescue stories, news, activities, comic strips, water safety advice, educational articles and competitions with cool prizes – exactly what the kids had asked for!

The new membership pack contains fewer items than before but they’re better quality: an exclusive ‘crew’ bag, a pencil tin and contents, stickers, a poster and an activity booklet – as well as a membership card and a different badge for every year of membership. Storm Forcers also have a fresh incentive to get their friends to join too with the offer of a mystery prize.

The future

This relaunch marks just phase one of a wider RNLI youth strategy: Storm Force is well loved by our younger supporters but what about those older children and teenagers with a social conscience, spending power and the internet at their fingertips? Traditional membership just won’t do, so work is underway on a second project to help engage these young supporters of tomorrow.

JOIN NOW!

At just £7.50/€10.50 a year, Storm Force makes a great gift. Do you know a youngster who would enjoy being part of Stan’s crew? And whole classes, Scouts, Guides and other youth groups are eligible for special Storm Force group membership. Find out more at rnli.org.uk/stormforce or phone 0845 121 4999.