High school students secure grant for Kippford RNLI

A group of third year pupils from Dalbeattie High School have been awarded a £3,000 grant for Kippford RNLI through the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI). The group of 6 worked together to research the RNLI and create a presentation about the charity, this was judged alongside the rest of the year group who had all chosen local charities to represent.

During the research phase the pupils were able to visit Kippford lifeboat station to learn more about the equipment and procedures. They also interviewed some of the crew as well as carrying out independent research to create the presentation. The group consisted of Seren Campbell, Megan Murray, Logan Blackburn, Nicholas Need, Ewan Richardson and Miguel Wilson Walker. They were supported in school by Mrs Whalen.

The YPI is administer by the Wood Foundation and The Holywood Trust in Dumfries and Galloway and has been running in Scotland since 2008. Since then more than 270,000 young people have taken responsibility for stewarding over £6m of charitable giving.

Sir Ian Wood, Executive Chairman of the Wood Foundation said: ‘Congratulations on securing your YPI award. Working with youngsters and helping them to understand the important work you do is a vital way of getting them involved in their communities and doing more throughout their lives. We hope these funds, and the awareness raised through this process, will support the work you are doing for people in your community. We at the Wood Foundation are very proud of YPI. Thank you for your involvement.’

Kippford RNLI recently visited Dalbeattie High School to receive the grant and were pleased to be able to present the pupils with a certificate and RNLI pen as a token of thanks for their efforts. There was also an opportunity to share some water safety advice with the whole school ahead of the summer holidays. Water Safety Officer Keith Armstrong-Clark reminded the pupils of the RNLI’s Float To Live message for anyone who finds themselves in trouble in the water and reinforced the importance of having a means to call for help.

Lifeboat Operations Manager, Gareth Jones, said: ‘This grant is gratefully received from YPI and I would like to thank the pupils for their time and effort in this project. The RNLI is the charity who saves lives at sea and we rely on public donations to fund our lifesaving work. £3,000 will provide equipment and training for one crew member for a year.’

Notes to editors

· Kippford Lifeboat Station has been operating since 1966

· Photo shows from L-R Mrs Whalen, Keith Armstrong-Clark, Gareth Jones, Seren Campbell, Megan Murray, Logan Blackburn, Nicholas Need, Ewan Richardson and Mr Kennedy

RNLI Media Contacts

For further information, please contact:

Laura Wilson, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for Kippford RNLI, 07756 125917, [email protected]

Natasha Bennett, RNLI Regional Media Officer(Scotland), 07826 900639, [email protected]

Martin Macnamara, Regional Media Manager (Scotland), 07920 365929 or [email protected]

RNLI Press Office 01202 336789 or [email protected]

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.

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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.