Portsmouth’s unsung RNLI heroes are praised for their life-saving efforts by city MP Penny Mordaunt

Penny Mordaunt, international development secretary, visited the HQ of the city’s RNLI team, in Ferry Road, Eastney, to find out more about their work at sea.

The 40-strong team of volunteers is one of the nation’s busiest, attending about 100 emergency calls every year.

Ms Mordaunt said: ‘It’s great to have been able to come and thank the volunteers here.

‘They do an amazing job and I’ve heard directly from them about the many heroic acts they perform, year in, year out and just how powerful the service they provide is and how compelling they are as people, volunteering to do this to save lives.’

Jacqui Hutchins, lifeboat operations manager, has been with the RNLI for 15 years and was delighted by the praise from the MP.

She said: ‘This has been great for morale. There are occasions when the boat will go out in horrific conditions to do a job and there’s no thanks whatsoever when we get back.

‘Nobody here volunteers to be thanked, they do it because they want to give something back to the community. But it is really nice to be recognised for the work we do.’

As well as meeting the base’s local crew, Ms Mordaunt also had the chance to learn about the charity’s international efforts to help save lives.

The RNLI is currently running a campaign to raise money to pay for creches for Bangladeshi children, in a bid to save innocent youngsters from drowning.

Surrounded by 700 rivers and around 5,000 miles of inland waterways, children are always only steps away from danger.

The country’s drowning rate is five times higher than other nations, with 40 children drowning every day due to inadequate childcare provision.

Ms Mordaunt said the UK’s Department for International Development – which she is in charge of – would back the campaign and match all the funds raised by the RNLI.

She said: ‘This appeal is to help save lives. Enormous numbers of children drown each year because they’re left unattended.

‘If they have got somewhere safe to go, that’s not going to happen to them.

‘So this is a really effective intervention.

‘It might seem an odd thing for the RNLI to be doing but it’s a fantastic initiative.’

Kim Dugan is the lifeguard supervisor for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and joined the RNLI as a volunteer crewman three years ago.

She backed the appeal and said: ‘This is just really sad and heartbreaking to hear how something like this happens so regularly when it could be so easily avoided.

‘That’s why it’s so important we try our best to support these families and help set up creches.’

A donation of just £2.50 could pay for a whole month of day care To donate, see rnli.org/creches