Ahead of International Women’s Day this Sunday (8 March), around 80 women from across the RNLI, each fulfilling a variety of frontline lifeboat station roles, came together for the RNLI’s Women in Search and Rescue Training Week at the RNLI College in Poole, Dorset.
The five-day event, which started on March 2, brought together women from RNLI lifeboat teams across the UK and Ireland to inspire, connect and share their experiences while learning new skills. Attendees were put through their paces in the Crew Emergency Procedures course in the RNLI’s sea survival training pool and headed out on Shannon class lifeboat for command training.
Speakers included the RNLI Chief Executive Peter Sparkes and Chair Janet Legrand as well as Head of Region in the North and East, Rebecca Felton, and first female full-time Coxswain at the RNLI, Di Bush. Attendees also took part in a mix of networking, confidence and leadership workshops, fitting in with the Give to Gain theme of this year’s International Women’s Day.
Jill Hepburn, RNLI Head of Region in Scotland, said: ‘International Women’s Day is a powerful reminder that when we give our time, skills and support to one another, we all gain strength, confidence and opportunity. Our Women in SAR Training Week is a brilliant example of this in action — bringing women together to share knowledge, build capability and grow as a supportive, skilled community while developing vital lifesaving expertise.
‘At the RNLI, we know that creating a more diverse and inclusive organisation makes us stronger and more effective in our mission to save lives at sea. We’re incredibly proud of all our frontline staff and volunteers who continue to give so much in service of others.’
Regional International Women’s Day events at the RNLI also took place in Swords, Ireland and Shoreham by Sea, West Sussex.
To find out more about volunteering at the RNLI, including current vacancies, please visit: rnli.org/support-us/volunteer
