Five-year-old Grey Raises £228 for Southend-on-Sea RNLI Lifeboat Station
Lifeboat enthusiast Grey from Southminster in Essex placed jars in his school collecting 5p coins from the teachers and pupils for the lifesaving charity.
On Saturday morning (13 April) Grey and his very supportive family were welcomed at Southend-on-Sea RNLI lifeboat station to meet the lifesaving volunteer crew and see the lifeboats. Southend RNLI volunteers made the day a special one to remember.
Arriving at 9.30am Grey with his mum and dad (Abbey and Connaire), brother and sister, were invited into the lifeboat station crew room where Grey, dressed perfectly for the occasion in a yellow RNLI jacket and yellow wellies, presented a very large, heavy jar filled with 5p coins to Southend-on-Sea RNLI Lifeboat Station.
Southend-on-Sea volunteers had some treats for the Clarke family including inspections of the hovercraft, D-class lifeboat and launch tractor. RNLI volunteer Commander/Helm Daniel asked Grey to hit the emergency shutter button to open the doors of the lifeboat station so that Rescue Hovercraft H-004 Vera Ravine could be launched on exercise.
After meeting Dead Fred, (the name for the RNLI’s man overboard training dummy) the excitement continued at the offshore station for Grey and his family with tours of both the Atlantic 85 and Southend RNLI’s second D-class lifeboat. To top the day off, Grey launched the offshore D-class lifeboat D-771 William Henderson with help and supervision from RNLI volunteer Commander/Helm Saxon.
Grey had this to say: ‘I loved watching the hovercraft launch because it can go on the mud and the water. It goes super-fast! I loved opening the shutters and sitting inside the hovercraft. I loved meeting Dead Fred'.
‘I want to be a part of the RNLI crew so I can save people in storms and help people who are in trouble in the sea. I wanted to raise money for the RNLI because my money will help buy new equipment. I sent in a design for a Mud Squelcher so maybe they can make that! I practise my water safety when I go swimming and like to patrol the beach to make sure people are safe'.
‘Thank you, Nigel for letting me into the lifeboat station. I like looking at the lifejackets and the crew members suits, and I loved launching my very first lifeboat!'
Speaking from my point of view as Lifeboat Press Officer I often see young children very keen and enthusiastic towards the lifeboats and the RNLI. However, Grey has an enthusiasm and passion I rarely see in such young children, fully supported by his parents, and he is truly inspirational and a commander in the making. I have a feeling that lifeboat press officers will be writing about rescues Grey has commanded in years to come, and I would be very honoured to be that author.
Nigel Gilchrist Southend-on-Sea RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer.
Why 5p’s?
In 2014, Betty Frith – the honorary Treasurer of the RNLI Hertford branch for over 20 years – came up with the idea of washing the individual jam pots served up in cafes and hotels and reusing them as tiny collection jars for all those fiddly 5p pieces which end up at the bottom of your purse or pocket. The idea proved a huge success and has now been adopted by over 100 local RNLI branches, raising many thousands of pounds for the lifesaving work of the Institution.
Notes to editors
- Southend-on-Sea lifeboat station has been operating since 1879. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to: https://southendlifeboat.org/
- Southend-on-Sea RNLI welcome schools/clubs/individual visits to both stations.
- Visits can be booked at [email protected]
- Photos/ Nigel Gilchrist & Connaire Clarke.
RNLI media contacts
- For more information please contact: Nigel Gilchrist, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for Southend-on-Sea RNLI, 07765875300 or [email protected],
- Hatti Mellor | RNLI Regional Communications Manager – South East, [email protected]
- Julie Rainey, Regional Communications Lead - South East, on 07827 358 256 or email [email protected]
- For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789
RNLI online
For more information, please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the RNLI News Centre.
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 over 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and, in a normal year, 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.
RNLI at 200
On 4 March 2024, the RNLI celebrates 200 years of saving lives at sea – thanks to volunteers giving their time to save others, all funded by voluntary public donations. Throughout its 200th anniversary year, the charity is running events and activities to commemorate its history, celebrate the lifesaving service it provides today, and inspire generations of future lifesavers and supporters. For more information visit RNLI.org/200.
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
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.