RNLI team ‘touched’by anonymous thank you
AN anonymous thank you letter has melted the hearts of the “truly wonderful” volunteers who put their lives on the line to save people at sea.
The handwritten missive was found by volunteers at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution station at Lyme Regis in Dorset last month.
The unnamed sender, who signs the letter simply as “me”, said they were lucky enough to have never needed saving, but praised the work of the charity and its volunteers.
They added: “I love the sea, but I am not someone who is risky/brave/ adventurous so I am usually firmly positioned on the beach. Saying that, I know the people you save are not always risky, adventurous etc. Some people are really unlucky and find themselves in dangerous situations!
“Then there is you people, TRULY WONDERFUL BRAVE people who risk their lives to save others.
“You give your time to be there when others need. The sea is such a challenge at times and should be treated with caution – yet when others run away you run towards danger.
“You go above and beyond every day. So this letter is to say ‘thank you’, we do appreciate you, we know the sacrifice you VOLUNTEERS make. We are proud of you.”
The letter was warmly received by the team and the charity, which posted it on Twitter and said: “Receiving lovely words like this mean a great deal to us – we are so lucky to have such amazing supporters.”
Lyme Regis volunteer press officer Seb Cope said the note appeared at the station one day.
The 35-year-old said the team received about a dozen letters a year from locals or children and community groups that visited, although not many anonymous ones.
Mr Cope added: “Everyone was quite touched that someone had taken the time to write the letter.
“We’d say thank you very much for the letter, it’s a very kind thing to do and we’re very appreciative of the kind thoughts.
“It’s nice to see that they’re a fan of saving lives at sea.”
The volunteer team has had 37 callouts this year, ranging from rescuing people cut off by the tide to helping sailors with engine failure or who have capsized.
The RNLI provides 24-hour search and rescue services across the United Kingdom and Ireland from 238 lifeboat stations.