Editor of The Charity Times, Andrew Holt, has spoken to Sandown and Shanklin Independent Lifeboat’s Operations Manager about the charity’s work in promoting a community fund award and the difference winning the award made on the lifeboat charity, as well as taking an insight into the work of the life-saving rescue team.
The Sandown and Shanklin Independent Lifeboat (SSILB) crew have been making their own waves recently having been stars of a Lloyds Bank promotional film which encourages people to nominate local good causes for a community fund award. The highly committed group of 26 volunteers who make up SSILB themselves benefited from the Lloyds Bank Community Fund in 2013.
The volunteer-led crew received £3,000 from the Lloyds Bank Community Fund award last year, boosting the charity’s operation, with the money used to buy essential kit, including 12 brand new life jackets.
Mark Birch, one of the lifeboat volunteers and Operations Manager, says the benefits of the fund were substantial.
“The benefits of being involved with the Community Fund haven’t just been financial. The Community Fund has also enabled us to raise our profile in the community.
“When we found out that we’d been shortlisted for the award we encouraged everyone we knew to vote for us, including great support from the Island Echo, to champion our cause.
“Being selected to participate in the promotional film has also been a wonderful way to raise awareness of the work we do and will hopefully lead to additional fundraising support.”
The volunteer crew operate a 24/7 rapid response emergency lifeboat service for the Shanklin and Sandown area and are involved with rescuing an average of 35 people per year. To keep going, SSILB needs to find £25,000 per year to run its service: which by any measurement, is exceptionally good value for an emergency service. They are fully funded through donations and that is why then Community Fund really helped.
This is why in turn the crew have been enthusiastic to promote the fund this year, given how much it helped them: and making the film was fun in the process.
Mark continued:
“We’ve had great fun working on the film and are proud that the work of our lifeboat volunteer crew is being recognised in this way.
“We’d encourage anyone who knows of, or is involved with, a local good cause to champion them and nominate them for the Community Fund 2014”.
Naturally, the work the crew undertake can be emotionally tough work, as Birch describes:
“The hardest part of the role is when rescue turns into recovery. The crew is responsible for informing family and friends on shore and this emotional aspect of the work is as challenging as having to deal with treacherous conditions at sea.”
The Lloyds Bank Community Fund was established in 2012 as part of Lloyds Bank’s partnership of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relay as the bank wanted to support the communities through which the Torch Relay passed and the first Community Fund programme was established. This was scaled up in 2013, with more communities and good causes supported.
The fund has supported more than 1,600 good causes across the UK since it started, benefitting over 450,000 individuals.Lloyds Bank as a group invested £85m in communities during 2013.
Graham Lindsay, Lloyds Bank Group Director, responsible business and community affairs says:
“Last year through the Community Fund we were able to make a significant difference to the Sandown & Shanklin Independent Lifeboat crew and we thought that he film would be a fantastic way to recognise their good work and bring the benefits of the Community Fund to life.
“Anyone who supports a good cause in their community should nominate them for a chance to receive a Community Fund award in 2014.”
To find out more and nominate a community group visit: www.lloydsbank.com/communityfund.
