Lifesaving charity, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, is calling on the people of Sussex to cast their vote in a national campaign which could see Brighton lifeboat crew receive a £5,000 share of a charity fund.
The RNLI has been selected to be part of an initiative run the Daily Mirror newspaper called the ‘Vote that Counts’, where charities compete to earn the most votes in order to win donations.
The Mirror has teamed up with The People’s Postcode Trust, a charity funded entirely by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery, to launch the campaign at the beginning of October. Readers as well as charity supporters are now able to vote for their favourite charity by visiting www.votethatcounts.org
Brighton RNLI Lifeboat Station is one of eight lifeboat stations selected by the RNLI as worthy benefactors of the cash, should the charity secure enough votes to win the top prize of £50,000. The station, based in Brighton Marina, would use the money to replacing the crew kit which is beginning to wear.
Brighton RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, Roger Cohen, said: ‘’We were delighted to hear that the RNLI has been selected to be part of the Vote that Counts. We are urging the people of Sussex to visit the website and vote for the RNLI. We’d use our £5,000 share of the £50,000 to replace worn out kit. Our volunteers deserve the most protective kit when risking their lives to save others, as it keeps them save in treacherous conditions.
‘Our volunteers need professional training and fit-for-purpose kit – kit that can mean the difference between life and death. It’s not uncommon to visit a station and find a crew member painstakingly resealing the waterproof seals of their dry suit by hand, but inevitably each piece of kit wears out.’
Protective helmets alone cost £194 while a pair of thermal gloves cost £10. Lifejackets, dry suits, waterproof jackets, inflatable kneepads and steel-plated wellies are all crucial in the sea conditions our crews launch in.
The RNLI is up against nine of the nation’s best-loved charities who are all competing to win a share of the fund which has been generously awarded by People’s Postcode Trust. The charity with the most votes will win a top prize of £50,000, four runners up will receive £10,000 and one local charity nominated by voters will win £10,000.
The other charities involved are Oxfam, Multiple Sclerosis Society, , Alzheimer’s Society, ChildLine, Breast Cancer Care, PDSA, Amnesty and British Heart Foundation.
Roger added: ‘Voting closes on 21 October, so we’re appealing to anyone with internet access to log on and vote for the RNLI. It literally takes seconds and will make a huge difference to the RNLI’s volunteers crews. Thanks in advance for your kind support.’
RNLI supporters should visit www.votethatcounts.org to cast their vote before 21 October.
