Southport Offshore Rescue Trust

Southport Lifeboat is run by the Southport Offshore Rescue Trust. We are independent of the RNLI and receive no government or regular external funding. Being independent means that the Trust is responsible for all of its own financing and fundraising.

The crew commit their time and effort freely, they receive no payment at all. 

Being a crew-member does not mean attending only callouts and training sessions, fundraising is also a major part of their duties.  The crew regularly organise social events and volunteer to take an active role in PR exercises in order to raise the £70,000 needed to keep the boat on station all year round - this itself is no mean task. 

Other community activities include giving tours of the Lifeboat Station for schools, Cubs, Scouts, Brownies and Guides. We see this as ‘sowing seeds for the future’ - who knows where the next donations will come from, or even the next generation of crew members.

‘Southport Lifeboat is totally independent, no funding is received from the RNLI.’ 

 The crews’ training ensures that the boat and equipment are always available for emergency situations. The crew are responsible for the maintenance and repair of the boathouse, boats, launch vehicles, and the two quad ATVs used for beach rescues. 

Due to the corrosive nature of saltwater, maintenance can be very time consuming. After each launch, the crew can spend between one and two hours washing down the boat and vehicles. 

The lifeboat is stationed in Southport's new, purpose-build lifeboat station which was completed in 2021.