Today marks the 249th birthday of Sir William Hillary, the founder of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. In 1823 Sir William made an impassioned appeal to the nation, calling for a service dedicated to saving lives at sea, and in 1824 the RNLI was founded. | RNLI

As Christmas approaches, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is urging people to take care as statistics show lifeboats will launch over 100 times during the festive period* to help those in need. Figures over the last 10 years for the festive period show that RNLI lifeboats will launch on average 111 times, and aid 55 people back to safety with many volunteers having their festive celebrations interrupted. Andy Doe, RNLI Hastings Coxswain said: ‘This Christmas, many RNLI lifesavers w

When the call to rescue comes in, lifeboat crews have to be able to launch quickly and safely. But getting lifeboats in and out of the water is not always as simple as it sounds and often requires a creative solution! Many of our lifeboats are launched by slipways, some are lowered onto the water on davits, and others are reached by boarding boats. From floating boathouses to tractors and special lifting mechanisms, we take a look at all the ways our lifeboats launch on this #WorldCreativityandI

Will you join us as a member today and help build and maintain the lifeboats that keep our crews safe at sea? | RNLI

When you think of the RNLI, what kind of rescues come to mind? From sinking boats to being trapped on the rocks, our volunteer crews will answer the call whatever, whenever and wherever it might be. But our crews need your help this Christmas. They are busier than ever and our income has gone down. Please help in any way you can and together, we can weather the Perfect Storm: http://rnli.info/0UR0IR | RNLI