What has a 25-knot all-weather craft powered with waterjets got in common with a £300 wooden boat with 10 oars? They’re both fundraising targets set by The Lifeboat Fund – the UK civil service charity set up in aid of the RNLI. When the fund was set up in 1866, the first lifeboat funded was Civil Service, which was stationed in Co Wexford and saved 122 lives. Now, after funding 52 lifeboats, the civil service is going further than ever in aid of the charity – in celebration of 150 years of support. The Lifeboat Fund has set its sights on raising £1.1M towards a new Shannon class lifeboat at Wells, Norfolk. ‘This is a remarkable target, set by a remarkable organisation,’ says Paul Boissier, RNLI Chief Executive. ‘Our volunteer crew members have saved thousands of lives thanks to the kindness and hard work of civil servants over the years. The Shannon they aim to fund is our most capable and advanced class of lifeboat yet – and the volunteers at Wells deserve nothing less. It will replace their Mersey class lifeboat, which has
to be taken nearly 1.5 miles to launch when the tide is out. The 25-knot Shannon can be launched in shallow waters, straight from the station. This all reduces the time to reach those in need.’