Covid-19 has resulted in 2020 being a challenging year for many, not least charities that rely so heavily on fundraising events and the goodwill of the local people.
In July, I was kindly invited to visit the Hope Cove Lifeboat, the only Independent Lifeboat Station based in my constituency on Totnes and South Devon.
The volunteer team at Hope Cove has done a fantastic job throughout this year. However, it has not been easy as they have lost a huge amount of their usual fundraising opportunities.
After meeting the crew, I took about writing to Government Ministers to support our lifeboats that are doing an essential job but have lost their income and, in many cases, had increased costs due to PPE.
To date I have:
- Written to Ministers
- Spoken to Hope Cove Lifeboat, the RNLI and the Coastguard
- Held a Westminster Hall debate on the future of Lifeboats
- Written to all MPs with an Independent Lifeboat in their constituency
- Started the process of creating an Independent Lifeboat Association