Montrose RNLI thank public and businesses for success of open day
Montrose RNLI are delighted to announce that our open day and summer raffle raised over £2700. We would like to thank all the visitors who came out in large numbers to support our fundraising initiatives.
Our annual open day took place on Saturday 23rd August, and even with several other events happening in the area that weekend, the local community truly rallied behind us, making our open day a remarkable success. We raised an incredible £1557.00 from the summer raffle and a further £1152.61 from our open day, totalling £2709.61 from both events.
Visitors had a unique chance to tour Montrose RNLI's all-weather lifeboat, Ian Grant Smith, and the inshore lifeboat, Margaret Olive, allowing them to see the vital equipment used in life-saving operations up close. Stormy Stan entertained the children throughout the day and was a big favourite among our younger guests. The summer raffle and tombola were bustling all day long, generating a fantastic amount of funds.
We are grateful to our flank station, Arbroath RNLI, HM Coastguard, and the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, who joined us to demonstrate their lifesaving services. We were also pleased to have the Montrose Coastal Rowing Club showcasing their Goose 191 rowing boat.
Additionally, we want to thank the businesses and community members who contributed to the success of this event. A special thanks goes to Tesco Montrose, GoreVega, Maddison’s Café, and all the individuals who supported us with raffle and tombola prizes. We also owe a huge debt of gratitude to all our volunteers and helpers who were there throughout the day, ensuring everything ran smoothly.
Derek Smart Lifeboat Operations Manager said: “As a charity our open days are crucial events for fundraising. We’d like thank the public, locals and visitors, who helped us raise over £2700 . These funds will go directly towards our lifesaving operations, for example they could be used to train up our new trainee crew members, which costs £1360 per crew member per year. We are incredibly grateful for the continued support of our local community.”
- In 2024 RNLI lifeboats from 238 stations across the UK and RoI launched 9,141 times saving 437 lives (alongside RNLI lifeguards), North Berwick launched 28 times, saving 7 lives.
- It cost £1,360 a year to train each crew member in the lifesaving skills they need to answer the call for help
- 97% of the RNLI’s frontline lifesavers are volunteers including over 5,700 lifeboat crew members.
- In 2024 it cost the RNLI £190M to run its charitable lifesaving service, 6 in 10 of the lifeboat launches were funded by generous supporters leaving the RNLI a gift in their will.
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
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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.