Overview
- The Christchurch Residents’ Association rejected a £200 request for the local RNLI after a show-of-hands vote at a meeting where members objected to rescues of people crossing the Channel.
- Groups calling themselves Poole Patriots and Bournemouth Patriots protested outside Poole RNLI on February 14, and about 130 counter-protesters outnumbered roughly 50 original demonstrators.
- RNLI reiterated that crews respond when tasked by HM Coastguard and will assist anyone in trouble on the water.
- Local politicians, including MP Vikki Slade, publicly backed the RNLI’s life-saving remit, while MP Neil Duncan-Jordan noted Channel-related operations were 1.2% of rescues in 2024 and that crews saved 1,371 lives that year.
- A GoFundMe launched after the donation was refused passed £1,000 within days in support of the lifeboat charity.