RNLI appeals for volunteer crew members

Would-be lifeboat crew members will be able to find out more about volunteering at the Lincolnshire coast later.

The lifesaving charity will hold an open evening later at a Skegness café bar to spread the word.

The roles available are operational which means getting the lifeboats into the water or crewing them.

Adam Holmes, from the Skegness team, said he would recommend joining to anyone.

Mr Holmes said: "You get to build friendships which last a lifetime. You get a social life, you get a hobby and a passion, and I personally get a kick out of helping the local community.

"There's a load of really rewarding benefits from volunteering for the RNLI."

People can find out more by going to The Hideout Café and Bar in the Compass Gardens, Skegness, between 18:00 and 21:00 BST on Wednesday.

Each station relies on a crew of volunteers that help man the lifeboats, run the shops, spread water safety messages, create media content and raise funds.

Mr Holmes said: "The whole point of having the open evening is for people to come down and see what we need from people and really what they can do.

"It's not full time. It does work around jobs and lifestyles. There are commitments but they do have to fit very much around day-to-day living and personal lives."

Of the RNLI's frontline lifesavers, 97% are volunteers.

According to the charity the Skegness station was established in 1825 and currently operates two lifeboats.

Volunteers for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution have been saving lives at sea since 1824.

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