Representatives from Burnham-On-Sea RNLI lifeboat station and fundraising branch will take part in the next stage of the RNLI’s celebrations marking its 200th anniversary this Sunday, 21st April.
The ‘Connecting our Communities’ relay-style event sees a scroll, bearing the RNLI pledge, being passed through RNLI communities – lifeboat stations, lifeguard units and fundraising branches – around the UK and Ireland and being signed by representatives along the route.
Beneath the pledge, printed in seven languages (English, Irish Gaelic, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Ulster Scots, Manx, and Cornish), it says: ‘Signed in 2024 by representatives of the RNLI’s lifesaving communities, on behalf of all who strive to save every one.’
At Burnham-On-Sea Lifeboat station, lifeboat volunteers and designated fundraising volunteers will be signing the scroll.
Members of the public can pop into the station for a cuppa and have a ‘Brew with the crew’.
Denise Gocher, Burnham’s fund-raising chair, says: “Having the 200th Anniversary scroll visit Burnham-On-Sea is a huge honour for us, and one which demonstrates the hard work and dedication that all our volunteers bring to the RNLI.”
Over the course of seven months, the five-metre-long scroll will pass through 240 RNLI locations around the UK and Ireland.
The pledge reads: ‘Whoever we are, wherever we are from, we are one crew, ready to save lives. We’re powered by passion, talent and kindness, like generations of selfless lifesavers before us. This is our watch, we lead the way, valuing each other, trusting each other, depending on one another, volunteering to face the storm together. Knowing that, with courage, nothing is impossible. That is what has always driven us to save every one we can. It’s what makes every one of us a lifesaver.’
