Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Apr 30th, 2023

Oct 10th, 2022

Jan 9th, 2022

I have never visited this place but I have friends who work here. They told me wonderful things about this organization, things that deserve to be heard by others. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is the largest charity organization in Great Britain dedicated to saving lives at sea. It mainly operates around the coasts of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, as well as some inland waterways. Founded in 1824 as the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, it soon became the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck. It was under the patronage of King George IV. On October 5 the institution's name was changed to RNLI and in 1860 it was granted a royal charter. This organization has enjoyed royal patronage since its creation. It is funded primarily by legacies (65%) and donations (28%). The remaining funds come from merchandising and investment. Most of the members of its lifeboat crews are volunteers. The RNLI is based in Poole, Dorset and has around 238 lifeboat stations and 444 lifeboats. Its lifeguards operate on more than 200 beaches and are paid by local authorities. RNLI provides them with equipment and training. This institution also operates flood rescue teams nationally and internationally. Since its foundation, the RNLI has saved around 140.000 people at a cost of over 600 lives lost in service. A magnificent organization indeed. Hope to visit it one day.
Apr 11th, 2023

I started work in Poole over 50 years ago and I have seen many changes around the town. I saw what was then the Arndale Centre ( now known as the Dolphin Centre ) being built. The quay is one of the most beautiful places to visit. Poole Harbour is one of the largest natural harbours in the world and Brownsea island being within this harbour is now the home of the thriving red Squirrel population and the home of Boy Scout movement in England. The Poole Harbour area has been inhabited for at least 2,500 years. During the Iron Age, Celtic people known as the Durotriges lived in Dorset, particularly around Wareham, five miles ( eight km ) to the west. In the 3rd century BC, these Celtic people moved from hilltop settlements, such as Maiden Castle and Badbury Rings on the chalk downs to the north, to the lower vales and heathland around the River Frome and Poole Harbour. This marshy area may have lent its name to the Durotriges, which means water dwellers. The Durotriges engaged in cross-channel trading at Poole with the Veneti, a seafaring tribe from Brittany. The earliest significant archaeological find in the harbour is the Poole Longboat, a 10 metres ( 33 ft ) boat made from a single oak tree and dating to 295 BC. During that time, the harbour was shallower than it is today and any settlement would now be under water. Poole Quay is a visitor attraction to the south of the town centre lined with a mixture of traditional public houses, new bars, redeveloped warehouses, modern apartment blocks and historic listed buildings. Once the busy centre of Poole's maritime industry, all port activities moved to Hamworthy in the 1970s as the Quay became increasingly popular with tourists. The Grade II listed Customs House on the quay-front was built in 1814 and now functions as a restaurant and bar. Nearby the Grade I listed Town Cellars, a medieval warehouse built in the 15th century on the foundations of a 14th century stone building, houses a local history centre. Scaplen's Court, another Grade I listed building, also dates from the medieval era. Poole Pottery has been redeveloped into an apartment block. Boats regularly depart from the quay during the summer and provide cruises around the harbour and to Brownsea Island, the River Frome and Swanage. Public artworks along the Quay include Sea Music a large metal sculpture designed by Sir Anthony Caro, and a life-size bronze sculpture of Robert Baden-Powell created to celebrate the founding of the Scout Movement on Brownsea Island. At the western end of the quay near the mouth of Holes Bay is Poole Bridge. Built in 1927, it is the third bridge to be located on the site since 1834. The RNLI museum ( though quite small ) is dedicated to the lifeboat service in based in Poole. It is located in the historical old lifeboat station that was built in 1863 and the main exhibit is the Dunkirk one of the little ships RNLB Thomas Kirk Wright. The first boathouse was built in 1865 at Sandbanks just by the narrow entrance to the large and natural Poole Harbour. This was remote from the main building in Poole which meant the crew had to be collected by horse-drawn wagon from the Antelope Hotel in the High Street Old Town and taken to Sandbanks.
Feb 16th, 2022