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Helena Dollimore MP congratulates the RNLI on 200 years of service


It’s been 200 years since the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) was founded and, since then, it’s saved over 145,000 lives - an average of two a day.


Thought up in a London tavern in 1824, the lifesaving service was designed to help ships that crashed with alarming regularity on to the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland.


Today, those crashes are less frequent, but the RNLI is no less important.


Its volunteer crew has launched over 380,000 times and its lifeguard team - founded in 2001 - has responded to 303,030 emergencies on beaches.


In August, Helena Dollimore, Member of Parliament for Hastings and Rye, put down an Early Day Motion (EDM) in Parliament to congratulate the RNLI on its impressive anniversary.


A total of 51 MPs supported the motion, thanking all crew members who have risked their lives to save thousands of lives at sea, while also paying tribute to volunteers past and present who support this vital work.


Helena also presented a copy of the EDM at RNLI Hastings at their dedicated Lifeboat Station, and will also be presenting a copy to the volunteer team at Rye Harbour RNLI.


“I congratulate the RNLI on their 200th year. Our local stations and volunteers work so hard risking all to save lives at sea,” Helena said.


Once reliant on wooden lifeboats powered by oars and sails, the RNLI now operates on motor-powered all-weather lifeboats with state-of-the-art technology and communications.


“I celebrate our local volunteers as well as their colleagues across the UK and Ireland - and wish them well for another 200 years,” Helena added.

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