Runswick Bay Rescue Boat Association (RBRB) is delighted to announce that it has secured vital funding of almost £75,000 from the Department for Transport (DfT)’s Inshore and Inland Rescue Boat Grant Fund 2018/19. The DfT had received applications for nearly £2 million, against an available fund of £1 million, so competition was high. This is the first time RBRB has received a grant of such magnitude. The award allows us to purchase a new boat, new trailer, vital crew equipment, and some new radio equipment.
The Runswick Bay Rescue Boat was established in 1982 as a registered charity, and has relied largely on donations and fundraising from the local community. The DfT grant allows us to purchase much needed longer term capital equipment. However, the ongoing operation of the service will remain totally reliant on the type of fundraising activity that RBRB has relied on in the past. RBRB is an inshore facility which works in close co-operation with the RNLI and HM Coastguard, with a primary remit to ‘nip in the bud’ local incidents and to access difficult locations along the shoreline, particularly on either side of the bay where larger boats would struggle to gain access.
To support the local community, RBRB assist with many community water-based activities, for example, fishing competitions as well as local and national kayak events. Many pleasure fishing boats operate out of Runswick Bay, in addition to the large number of visitors that launch from the beach
“The new boat and trailer provided by the fund will see the crew able to launch more easily and quickly in case of emergency, regardless of the state of the tide or the volume of seaweed which collects at the base of their launch slipway,” said Peter Blenkinsop, Chairman. “New dry suits will provide valuable warmth and safety to the crew, who can experience hypothermia themselves very quickly when operating in the North Sea. The funding ensures a better and more effective service, and will have a positive impact for many years to come.”