Day 2 of my 2012 mile journey with the RNLI in Eastbourne, East Sussex

Today I completed another 10 miles of my 2012 mile journey in the county of East Sussex.  As I am walking in the unitary authority of Brighton tomorrow, I decided to walk in Eastbourne and was supported by some of the crew from the RNLI Station, starting off at their Station and walking along the coast to the RNLI Museum and back again.

 

One of the best parts of my life is that I get to meet and talk with so many people that are committed to helping others. Meeting others that are doing incredible work and risking their lives every day puts things into perspective. Many people across Great Britain and Northern Ireland volunteer for charities, and are really the unsung heroes and heroines doing vital work that helps others. These volunteers are critical for supporting and gifting time to the charities of their choice and they do this day after day, week after week, year after year quietly, humbly and are rarely recognized for their crucial contributions. 

I want to recognize those people that are helping an incredible charity organisation, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI.) As the RNLI says, they are “the charity that saves lives at sea.” They have 4,500 volunteer crew members across the UK and Republic of Ireland and they provide 24/7 lifesaving service regardless of the weather. They frequently risk their lives to help others that are in trouble. The RNLI provides 24 hour lifeboats and seasonal lifeguards that are devoted to saving lives at sea and since their founding in 1824 they have saved over 139,000 lives. 

As an independent charity they receive no funding from the UK government, instead they are funded entirely by donations from the public and corporations.

To learn more about the RNLI go to their website at www.rnli.org.uk. As their values state, they are “selfless, dependable, trustworthy and courageous.” I am looking forward to walking with members of the RNLI throughout the BRIT 2012 Challenge. If you have not yet decided on a charity to support, then please consider raising funds for the RNLI, a modest group of men and women, doing a phenomenal job. I hope you never need them, but if you do get in trouble on the seas, it’s great to know the RNLI is there to help you.

I hope that the Eastbourne RNLI Station are successful in their fundraising of £700,000 for a replacement boat and she will be named “Diamond Jubilee” and join the pageant on the River Thames during Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

It was an honour to be presented with an RNLI Crew Tie today and I will wear this with pride. I remain delighted to champion the work that this remarkable charity carries out every day.

Phil