Royal National Lifeboat Institution
RNLI logo
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| Abbreviation | RNLI |
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| Formation | 4 March 1824 |
| Type | Life savers |
| Legal status | Registered charity |
| Purpose | The RNLI is a charity that saves lives at sea |
| Headquarters | Poole |
| Location |
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Region served
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United Kingdom Republic of Ireland Channel Islands Isle of Man |
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Official language
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English |
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Chief Executive
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Vice Admiral (ret'd) Paul Boissier |
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Main organ
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The Lifeboat |
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Budget
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£147.7 million (approximately £405,000 per day) |
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Volunteers
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40,000 |
| Website | rnli |
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man as well as on some inland waterways. There are numerous other lifeboat services operating in the same area.
Founded in 1824 as the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, the RNLI was granted Royal Charter in 1860 and is a charity in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Queen Elizabeth II is Patron. The RNLI is principally funded by legacies and donations with most lifeboat crew members being unpaid volunteers.
The RNLI has 237 lifeboat stations and operates 444 lifeboats. Crews rescued on average 22 people a day in 2015. RNLI Lifeguards operate on more than 200 beaches. They are paid by local authorities, while the RNLI provides equipment and training. The Institution operates Flood Rescue Teams (FRT) nationally and internationally (iFRT), the latter prepared to travel to emergencies overseas at short notice.
Considerable effort is put into training and education by the Institution, particularly for young people; more than 6,000 children a week are spoken to by education volunteers about sea and beach safety, and over 800 children a week receive training. The Institution has saved some 140,000 lives since its foundation, at a cost of more than 600 lives lost in service.
Sir William Hillary came to live on the Isle of Man in 1808. Being aware of the treacherous nature of the Irish Sea, with many ships being wrecked around the Manx coast, he drew up plans for a national lifeboat service manned by trained crews. Initially he received little response from the Admiralty. However, on appealing to the more philanthropic members of London society, the plans were adopted and, with the help of Member of Parliament Thomas Wilson and former MP and merchant George Hibbert, the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck was founded in 1824. At the age of 60, Sir William took part in the 1830 rescue of the packet St George, which had foundered on Conister Rock at the entrance to Douglas Harbour. He commanded the lifeboat and was washed overboard with others of the lifeboat crew, yet finally everyone aboard the St George was rescued with no loss of life. It was this incident which prompted Sir William to set up a scheme to build The Tower of Refuge on Conister Rock – a project completed in 1832 which stands to this day at the entrance to Douglas Harbour. In 1854 the institution's name changed to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (in 1849 Prince Albert had added his support to the Institution) and the first of the new lifeboats to be built was stationed at Douglas in recognition of the work of Sir William.
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Wikipedia