Our charity has featured in a host of TV shows recently – which, as well as making good viewing, helps to raise vital support to help save lives at sea.

In October, ITV broadcast The Pride of Britain awards, and millions of people watched three members of the RNLI’s Flood Rescue Team accept an award in the Emergency Services category. Chris Missen, Martin Blaker-Rowe and Paul Eastment received the award for the courage and skill they showed when they saved a mother swept away in fast-flowing floodwaters in Devon (see the Lifeboat Spring 2013).

A month later, lifeboat crews from Crosshaven in Cork, Howth in Dublin and Galway featured in Ireland’s Search and Rescue. The RTE series followed real incidents caught on camera, including the rescue of a man trapped under a pier and a boy badly injured after falling from rocks.

Real-life footage also featured heavily on the BBC’s Real Rescues, an Autumn documentary series featuring emergency services in action. Among the RNLI crews featured were the Tobermory volunteers who worked at full stretch to tow a stricken fishing boat and her three crew members away from rocks in 5m waves.

There were calmer scenes on The One Show in October, when Torbay lifeboat volunteer and photographer Nigel Millard found himself sitting between comedy legend Ronnie Corbett and former Spice Girl Melanie C. Nigel was promoting The Lifeboat: Courage on our Coasts book and exhibition – see page 18 for more.

Morecambe’s RNLI hovercraft crew made a flying appearance on the BBC’s Autumnwatch in November, helping the show’s presenter Michaela Strachan safely navigate the sands of Morecambe Bay. And on the Llyn Peninsula, S4C’s Bad Achub Porthdinllaen followed the volunteers of Porthdinllaen lifeboat as they fundraised and trained for rescues – and carried them out in earnest.

For information on when the RNLI is next appearing on TV, keep an eye on our website, follow @RNLI on Twitter, or become a fan of our Facebook page at Facebook.com/RNLI.