Skegness RNLI station seeks volunteer lifeboat crew
Would-be lifeboat crew members will be able to find out more about volunteering at the Lincolnshire coast later.The lifesaving charity will hold an open evening later at a Skegness café bar to spread the word.The roles available are operational which means getting the lifeboats into the water or crewing them.Adam Holmes, from the Skegness team, said he would recommend joining to anyone.
Mr Holmes said: "You get to build friendships which last a lifetime. You get a social life, you get a hobby and a passion, and I personally get a kick out of helping the local community."There's a load of really rewarding benefits from volunteering for the RNLI."People can find out more by going to The Hideout Café and Bar in the Compass Gardens, Skegness, between 18:00 and 21:00 BST.Each station relies on a crew of volunteers that help man the lifeboats, run the shops, spread water safety messages, create media content and raise funds.Mr Holmes said: "The whole point of having the open evening is for people to come down and see what we need from people and really what they can do."It's not full time. It does work around jobs and lifestyles. There are commitments but they do have to fit very much around day-to-day living and personal lives."Of the RNLI's frontline lifesavers, 97% are volunteers.According to the charity the Skegness station was established in 1825 and currently operates two lifeboats. Volunteers for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution have been saving lives at sea since 1824.
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Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
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Lord Nelson's fateful words written just three days before his death at the Battle of Trafalgar... revealed in unseen letter
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Just before he left Portsmouth for Cadiz on September 18, Nelson received correspondence from Foley and the letter now for sale was the naval commander's reply. Nelson wrote on October 18 off Cadiz: 'I see no prospect even with this Large fleet of getting thro' them with[ou]t a good battle which God of his infinite mercy grant us very soon and I hope that the result will be for the general benefit of Europe and little England in particular.' He adds that 'our weather is delightful' which was prescient as the favourable conditions enticed the Franco-Spanish fleet out of the safety of Cadiz, prompting the battle. He signs off by complimenting Sir Foley's wife and remarking 'I wish her Ladyship would produce you a Boy'. Sir Foley had led the British attack in HMS Goliath at the Battle of the Nile and was Nelson's flag captain on board HMS Elephant at the Battle of Copenhagen. The sale takes place on July 9. It comes as the Union Jack flag that was flown at the front of HMS Royal Sovereign during the Battle of Trafalgar goes on sale at a separate auction. Sovereign, commanded by Admiral Collingwood, was first into action against the French and Spanish fleets as Lord Nelson watched on admiringly from HMS Victory. The British naval hero reputedly said: 'See how that noble fellow Collingwood carries his ship into action.' The 100-gun first rate ship cut the enemy line and engaged the Spanish three decker Santa Ana in a titanic duel. Over the course of the battle 183ft-long Sovereign suffered huge damage, with most of her masts and rigging shot away. The 5ft by 9ft flag, which until it was restored still had wood splinters in it, was salvaged from the vessel when the fighting ended. It has been preserved for 220 years and is now being offered for sale by antique dealers Greens of Cheltenham. Battle of Trafalgar: Epic sea clash that laid foundations for Britain's global power - and claimed the life of Lord Admiral Nelson Fought on October 21, 1805, the Battle of Trafalgar is one of history's most epic sea clashes. Not only did it see Britain eliminate the most serious threat to security in 200 years, but it also saw the death of British naval hero Admiral Lord Nelson. This was not before his high-risk, but acutely brave strategy won arguably the most decisive victory in the Napoleonic wars. Nelson's triumph gave Britain control of the seas and laid the foundation for Britain's global power for more than a century. Despite signing a peace treaty in 1803, the two nations were at war and fought each other in seas around the world. After Spain allied with France in 1804, the newly-crowned French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte had enough ships to challenge Britain. In October 1805, French Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve led a Combined French and Spanish fleet of 33 ships from the Spanish port of Cadiz to face Nelson and Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood. Nelson, fresh from chasing Villeneuve in the Caribbean, led the 27-ship fleet charge in HMS Victory, while Vice Admiral Collingwood sailed in Royal Sovereign. Battles at sea had until then been mainly inconclusive, as to fire upon the opposing ship, each vessel had to pull up along side one another (broadside) which often resulted in equal damage. Nelson bucked this trend by attacking the Combined Fleet line head on - and sailed perpendicular towards the fleet, exposing the British to heavy fire. He attacked in two columns to split the Combined Fleet's line to target the flagship of Admiral Villneuve. 11. 30am Lord Nelson famously declared that 'England expects that every man will do his duty', in reference to the command that the ships were instructed to think for themselves. The captains had been briefed on the battle plan three weeks before, and were trusted to bravely act on their own initiative and adapt to changing circumstances - unlike their opponents who stuck to their command. Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood led the first column and attacked the rear of the line, and broke through. Nelson sailed directly for the head of the Combined Fleet to dissuade them from doubling back to defend the rear. But before he reached them, he changed course to attack the middle of the line - and Villeneuve's flagship. Speeding toward the centre of the line, HMS Victory found no space to break through as Villeneuve's flagship was being tightly followed - forcing Nelson to ram through at close quarters. In the heat of battle, and surrounded on three sides, Nelson was fatally shot in the chest by a well-drilled French musketeer. The Combined Fleet's vanguard finally began to come to the aid of Admiral Villeneuve, but British ships launch a counter-attack. 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The Guardian
39 minutes ago
- The Guardian
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Telegraph
an hour ago
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Neal believes Ofwat, which, together with the Environment Agency, decides where sewage infrastructure investment is made, should prosecute Anglian Water as it did Thames Water, because the company is 'not in compliance'. Ofwat had already signed off on investment money for Anglian Water, he says, 'and it clearly hadn't been used for the sewage works.' An Ofwat spokesman says: 'Ofwat has an enforcement case against Anglian Water and its wastewater treatment which has not yet concluded. As such, the investigation is ongoing, and it is not appropriate for us to comment at this time.' Now, adds Neal, 'the pressure will be on the council not to put any red lights up. They're worried about legal action from developers.' Nobody I speak to believes the council, which is allowing the houses to be sold, will enforce its own rule of no occupation. 'How does a buyer even know that they might not be able to live in their house? We're all scratching our heads,' says Kate Pryce, 50, a former solicitor and married mother-of-three, the unofficial leader of the residents' campaign group fighting the development, and now an unexpected expert in sewage. 'Houses are being built all over the country where there's no capacity on the basis that there's a statutory duty to connect once houses have been built. It is mad.' We walk waist deep in nettles across a field to a storm discharge point in a nearby stream, from where untreated sewage that the local sewage plant, Buckingham Water Recycling Centre, has insufficient capacity for feeds into the Great Ouse. Kate points out murky shapes in the putrid water: 'This brown stuff is called sewage algae. That is your absolute evidence of sewage discharge.' Back in the village, Sheilagh Rawlins shows me the 22-acre site of the planned development from the upstairs bedroom of the four-bedroom terrace she shares with husband Peter, a retired engineer. 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A spokesman for David Wilson Homes South Midlands said its development would lead to 'at least a 10 per cent uplift in biodiversity,' and generate a £3.5 million investment in local infrastructure, 'and we will create new, publicly accessible green open spaces with play areas, as well as jobs for the local community.' They added: 'We will ensure a programme of any wastewater upgrades required to support the development has been agreed with Anglian Water. It is also vital that water companies invest in the country's water and sewerage infrastructure so that we can build the homes the country needs, generating new jobs and driving economic growth.' A spokesman for Anglian Water said: 'Although there is currently no dedicated scheme for upgrades at Buckingham Water Recycling Centre, we are currently reviewing and prioritising our growth portfolio for delivery over the next five years. This is a typical part of our planning process between investment cycles.' Peter Strachan, Buckinghamshire council's deputy leader and cabinet member for planning, said its council 'follows the planning process rigorously as determined by nationally set guidance and legislation' and that, as its decision is now subject to judicial review 'it is not appropriate for the Council to comment further'. After sewage spills on the McDonald's garden, Anglian Water staff are dispatched with soil, grass seed and disinfectant to clear the damage – a process that can take days but will likely seem small fry to the company in the event of a new development. If he does end up with 153 new neighbours, Ian predicts: 'They're in trouble.'
