Swale Stroke Group visit Whitstable RNLI

Secretary of the group Janet Avery explained that “The group which is based at the Hope Street Centre in Sheerness has been running for 15-years and currently has around 50 members”.

“We are an independent voluntary social group and support Stroke Association. We organise games, events, trips out and social gatherings sometimes with a guest speaker at our weekly meetings”.

Whitstable RNLI Education Officer David Hayward said "We were delighted to welcome over 20 members of the Swale Stroke Group to Whitstable Lifeboat Station on Friday 24thy May. As a charity ourselves we know how important all charities are for all sorts of different reasons and the Swale Stroke Group was no exception as it seemed to be an amazingly valuable part of its members lives. The Group members able to make the visit seemed to find the experience both interesting and enjoyable - and the fact that they made a very kind donation to support our own work of saving lives at sea was the 'icing on the cake' for us".

“If you think that your own charitable group - adults or youngsters - would benefit from making your own visit then please do get in contact via the website".

Notes to editors

Whitstable RNLI Lifeboat Station was established in 1963 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and is one of 237 lifeboat stations around the shores of the UK and Ireland. The volunteer crews provide a maritime search and rescue service for the Kent coast. They cover the area between the Kingsferry Bridge on the Swale, in the west, around the south-eastern side of Sheppey and along the coast through Whitstable and Herne Bay to Reculver in the east and outwards into the Thames Estuary.

The station is equipped with an Atlantic 85 lifeboat named Lewisco, purchased through a bequest of a Miss Lewis of London who passed away in 2006.

She is what is known as a rigid inflatable inshore lifeboat, the boat’s rigid hull being topped by an inflatable sponson. She carries a crew of four people.

RNLI media contacts

• Chris Davey, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, Whitstable Lifeboat Station.
  07741 012004/ [email protected]

• For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789

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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