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plumbers, window companies and gardeners. The RNLI is an amazing organisation. The nation’s maritime rescue service is
provided by a non-government organisation, crewed by volunteers and funded
The focus was on these trade groups first because they are the types of traders entirely by voluntary donations. And it provides a service far, far better than
that Trading Standards continue to receive complaints about. Typically, that anything that the government could afford or manage. Suffice it to say I had an
involves work carried out to a poor standard, unnecessary or excessively priced.
amazing and successful time leading a brilliant fundraising team there.
Dorset Council Trading Standards offer free business advice to businesses based Not only that, but in 1992, for a couple of years I had the honour of leading and
in our area. If you’d like more information, then visit www.businesscompanion.info representing the UK’s new national body for professional fundraisers called the
or call a business advisor on 01305 224702. Institute for Charity Fundraising Managers (now the Chartered Institute of
If you’ve concerns about a business or would like advice on your consumer rights, Fundraising).
then visit the Citizens Advice consumer helpline at citizensadvice.org.uk/ In 2000, the opportunity came up to change jobs within the RNLI, and I
consumer or phone 0808 2231133. welcomed it. My new role brought together a collection of support functions,
and some new projects the RNLI wanted to get off the ground. One new project
was to buy land in Poole opposite the original HQ and oversee the design and
building of the Lifeboat College. This became the 60-bed hotel and residential
training centre for crews from all over the UK and Ireland. The College was
opened by HM the Queen in 2004. It was a memorable occasion at which every
When you respond to advertisers, do please tell them you saw their single lifeboat station in the United Kingdom and Ireland was represented. The
advert in this magazine - it helps them monitor the effectiveness of Queen and Prince Philip left the College on board an Irish lifeboat!
their advert and helps us generate more advertising revenue!! Another project was to help develop what had been the RNLI-run International
Lifeboat Federation into a stand-alone international charity. This involved a huge
amount of travel, including to China, India, Australia and the USA and many
European countries. The International Maritime Rescue Federation which brings
together European services with the US Coast Guard and services from all over
the world is now firmly on the map. One spin off for me was that I was asked to
join the trustee board of the Canadian Auxiliary Coast Guard, which I did for two
or three years. Another challenge was negotiating with the Chinese Rescue and
Salvage organisation to sell them redundant RNLI lifeboats as the core of a new
coastal rescue service.

The final project is perhaps the one of which I am most proud. In 2000, the RNLI
decided that it should investigate expanding from traditional lifeboat rescue into
the arena of beach rescue, Lifeguarding. Lifeguarding in UK had been the
preserve of volunteer clubs providing a part time service in the summer months
and at weekends. The rise of surfing and other water sports and the advent of
neoprene suits meant more and more people were using the beaches for a
longer and longer season, and more people were getting into difficulty.
Should the RNLI move into the arena of trained and professional paid lifeguards,
for a longer season? I was tasked with running a two-year pilot project on 26
beaches. We overcame the resistance of some of the lifeboat stations and
crews and ran a successful service which led to its adoption nationwide. Now,
240 beaches have seasonal lifeguards, fully integrated with the 238 lifeboat
stations around the UK and Ireland.

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