Do you know the three big targets we’re working towards as a lifesaving charity? As our Chairman Charles Hunter-Pease explained at our AGM in May, we aim to bring our entire all-weather lifeboat fleet up to a speed of 25 knots by 2019, expand the lifeguard service to 300 beaches in the same period, and – working with others – we aim to halve coastal drowning by 2024. Thanks to the support of people like you, this evolution is already underway, as you'll read in these pages.

This charity has always developed and evolved, without losing sight of the resolution to save lives. Our selection of covers – taken from an archive spanning over 160 years – demonstrates that. And, as you will have read in the letter accompanying this issue, the next edition will look quite different, with a new format and some exciting new features. So I really hope you enjoy this magazine – and approve of the next one! In the meantime, here’s to a safe and happy Summer.

Rory Stamp
Senior Editor