The Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Officers’ Association has donated £3.5 M to help fund a new floating Lifeboat Station for the crew at Tower RNLI, London.
The RNVR Officers’ Association’s generous donation is encouraging news for the RNLI and particularly for the Tower Station crews, who have been in need of new accommodation for some time. Not only are their living conditions cramped, the station lacks the best facilites for casualty care. Tower Lifeboat Station Manager, Kevin Maynard, explained that: “When we need to urgently carry out CPR, there’s currently no privacy from the general public walking along the bridge above.” He expressed his gratitude for the substantial donation saying that “The new Station at Tower will have an incredible impact on our crew and the casualties we care for.”
The RNVR Officers’ Association donation will help meet the cost of one of the most crucial parts of the project, the station’s pontoon. Along with a new pontoon, the station will have up-to-date facilities such as purpose-built private spaces for casualty care, a drying room for kit and a reception area for visitors.
The legacy of the Association will live on, as will its ethos of voluntary service; its name to be prominently displayed across the new lifeboat station along with a specially inscribed bell.
Since setting up on the Thames in 2002 Tower Station’s lifeboats have launched more than 9,000 times, saving over 350 lives, helping not only those in danger on the water, but also those who by accident or design, find themselves in the water, or stranded on the foreshore. Tower, together with the other three RNLI tidal Thames stations – Teddington, Chiswick, and Gravesend – provide a vital service for London and it’s good to see the substantial support that they are receiving from the RNVR Officers’ Association.
Sources and further information
See article on The Royal Naval Reserve
RNLI news article.
Tower Lifeboat Station
Interview with Chris Walker in July 2019 for an insight into life on the station.