WITH more than 40 emergency calls already responded to this year it will be business as usual over Christmas for Minehead’s volunteer RNLI crew.

But now the charity has launched a year-end ‘Perfect Storm’ appeal for additional funding to help maintain its commitment to maintaining a 24-hour sea rescue service around the coasts of the UK and Ireland.

Calls on lifeboat services are increasing and the costs for everything, including building new boats and maintaining stations, are rising; last year the institution’s financial resources dropped by £28.6 million.

The RNLI needs to raise around £3m a week to keep its 238 stations operational and equipped with the world’s best and safest lifeboats, and to train and equip its crews.

Cost savings are already being implemented with more than 130 redundancies announced among full-time staff, mainly at its support centre in Poole.

But Minehead RNLI chairman Bryan Stoner said: “One area where we cannot and will not economise is at the sharp end of the service.

“We are a full-time emergency service and people need to be assured that we will respond to their call for help whenever they are in trouble at sea or on the coast.

“The higher number of calls we are receiving at Minehead reflects the fact that more people are discovering and exploring this particularly attractive stretch of coastline – and we are very pleased they are doing so.

“At the same time it must be remembered that as well as beautiful it can at times be dangerous so it’s absolutely essential people take all the necessary steps to ensure they stay safe. That means wearing buoyancy aids and carrying emergency flares and a radio while at sea, or wearing appropriate clothing while exploring the beaches and coast.

“In the latter case they should carry a well-charged mobile phone but also have some means of attracting attention, such as a brightly-coloured item of clothing or a way of starting a signal fire – because there are several stretches of the local coastline where mobile reception is poor or non-existent.”

Once sea trials are complete next month, the Minehead station will take delivery of a new, £52,000 D class lifeboat, funds for which were all raised locally. It will be officially named in March.