Lytham St Annes RNLI recruiting for volunteer lifeboat press officer

You will help the RNLI save lives at sea by raising awareness of the charity, through promoting the activity of the lifeboat station, highlighting the lifesaving work of our volunteers and sharing key messages via local, digital and social media. The role will also involve running the station’s social media channels.

The Lytham St Annes Lifeboat Station operates two lifeboats, a Shannon class all-weather lifeboat (from the Lytham Station) and a D class inshore boat (from the St Annes Station). These are housed in separate boathouses 3.5 miles apart, one in Lytham and the other in St Annes.

Lytham St Annes RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, Paul Little says:

‘Volunteering with us gives people the opportunity to make a real difference in their local community, to save lives at sea and become part of our one crew family.

‘We can’t keep people safe without the support of our wonderful volunteers, who truly make a difference every day no matter which role they are fulfilling. Becoming Lytham St Annes’ deputy lifeboat press officer is a great chance to play a crucial part in helping to save lives and making a real difference in your community.

‘We’re looking for enthusiastic people with an interest in writing, communications, media, and storytelling.'

The lifeboat press officer (LPO) role is varied, with the opportunity to learn new skills, be creative, and make a difference in your local community. Duties of a lifeboat press officer include:

• Keeping local media informed of lifesaving activity, promoting newsworthy rescues, lifeboat station events and RNLI campaigns via a variety of channels
  
  
• Producing and distributing regular news releases with photos and/or video, to a standard RNLI format by email, uploading to the RNLI News Centre and posting to social media
  
  
• Being available to answer media enquiries
  
  
• Supporting or arranging media opportunities
  
  
• Acquiring and maintaining an up-to-date knowledge of your lifeboat station and the RNLI.

No previous experience is necessary to become a lifeboat press officer. Volunteers are trained by a dedicated team of media trainers and support provided by a dedicated volunteer manager throughout your time volunteering in the role.

Paul continues:

'We are preparing for a busy summer season here at Lytham St Annes RNLI. Recruiting a new deputy lifeboat press officer to join David, our longstanding LPO, will really help us share the wonderful world of our RNLI one crew here at Lytham St Annes, alongside the RNLI's water safety messages and promoting the important work our volunteer lifeboat crew undertake.'

For further details, click here to find out more and how to apply.

There is a rich lifeboat history in the area and the chief event in the area's history was the disaster in December 1886, when the Lytham, St Annes and Southport lifeboats went out to the barque Mexico. The Lytham lifeboat launched in very heavy seas, but the volunteer crew eventually managed to run alongside the Mexico and rescued the crew of 12.

Sadly, 27 men from Southport and St Annes’ lifeboats died while trying to support the same rescue effort to the stricken vessel. The disaster led directly to the foundation by Sir Charles Macara of the Lifeboat Saturday Fund. Charles and his wife Marion got a committee together and organised the first Lifeboat Saturday. It was the world’s first charity street collection ever recorded, and the formula has proved popular with street collections still taking place today.

RNLI Media Contacts
For more information, please contact RNLI Regional Communications Manager, Claire Fitzpatrick-Smith, on [email protected] / 07977 728 315.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.