It was the last Annual General Meeting for our Chairman, but the event was also a day of firsts as RNLI supporters and staff came together at a new venue

On 19 May, after 12 years at the Barbican in London, the AGM came home to Poole for the first time in our 192-year history. It was held in the more intimate theatre setting of Lighthouse, the town’s arts centre, meaning that local teams could run the event more easily – and at a greatly reduced cost. With the new addition of live broadcasts, voting and questions from satellite locations in Perth, Dublin and London, the stage was set for more supporters than ever to be included in future AGMs. It was a time to celebrate the 442 lives saved last year, to reflect on those lost to the sea at home and abroad, and to look to a future where such tragedies will be prevented. Taking to the stage under the banner of One Courageous Community, Chairman Charles Hunter- Pease and Chief Executive Paul Boissier explained how our work in 2015 puts the RNLI in the best possible position to halve coastal drowning by 2024. From the opening of the All-weather Lifeboat Centre to the local safety groups working together, the Chief Executive explained that everyone within the RNLI has a part to play in saving more lives. ‘We’ve always been united by the common cause that inspired our founder almost 200 years ago: to preserve human life,’ Paul said. ‘That’s whether we are volunteers, supporters, governors or staff. That’s what makes us one courageous community.’ His speech also outlined the financial position of our charity, concluding that ‘the finances of the RNLI remain sound at a time when we are facing particular challenges around fundraising’. (See more in Money Matters, right.) The Chairman introduced the audience to his successor onstage, Vice Chair Stuart Popham, and – in a surprise twist to the traditional vote of thanks – received a fond farewell on behalf of all our lifeboat crews from Kevin Riley, Exmouth Lifeboat Operations Manager. Kevin thanked him for more than 25 years of voluntary service, and reflected that Charles is known on the coast for being one of the crew, able to put people instantly at ease and inspire others to our cause.
Words: Philly Byrde
Photos: RNLI/Nathan Williams

Annual Report and Accounts 2015
You can find the full year in review, financial information and more in One Courageous Community, our Annual Report and Accounts. Read or download at RNLI.org/RNLI2015.

MONEY MATTERS

COST
• It cost £168.1M to run the RNLI in 2015 – that’s around £460,000 per day.
• A further £51.3M was spent on buildings (eg lifeboat stations) and equipment (eg lifeboats, launch and IT). This is reduced from last year as we completed work on the new All-weather Lifeboat Centre in February 2015.
• 10% of costs are support costs fundamental to the running of the RNLI (eg IT systems, HR, finance and general admin).
INCOME
• We raised £184.1M in 2015.
• 64% (£118.5M) of our income came from legacies.
• Another 31% (£56.5M) was raised through donations.
• £9.1M was raised through trading (eg RNLI shops, lifeguard income and investments).
FINANCIAL HEALTH
• We manage the generous donations entrusted to us very carefully.
• Our trustees manage the RNLI’s financial health by monitoring the free reserves – the funds available to run the RNLI in case of a shortterm setback.
• The reserves are kept within a range that would allow the RNLI to run for 6–18 months if all other income stopped. We are currently at 11 months

£184.1M
raised in 2015