Previous charities

2009/10: BRAKE: The Road Safety Charity 

Brake is a national charity dedicated to preventing road death and injury and caring for people bereaved or injured in road crashes.

Every day, eight UK police officers have to break the news to eight UK families that their loved one has been killed in a road crash. A further 100 families every day learn that their loved one has been seriously injured, with many suffering brain damage, paralysis or limb loss.

Our work includes educating different road users – from children and their parents, to young people learning to drive and professional drivers – through resources, training and events.

We co-ordinate national Road Safety Week each November and provide free community training on different road safety topics, including family road safety and young driver safety, through the FedEx and Brake Road Safety Academy.

Our BrakeCare division is the national provider of support for road crash victims – helping families whose lives have been devastated by a sudden death or serious injury. It offers emotional support and practical information through a helpline and through support literature that is handed out by police following every fatal road crash in the UK.

For more information visit the BRAKE website or telephone Lisa Kendall on +44 (0)1484 683294.

2007/09: RNLI

In a seafaring nation like the UK, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) needs little introduction. We are all familiar with the vital role that they play, rescuing those in peril around our coastline, and beyond.

Last year, lifeboats rescued over 8,000 people, an average of 22 people per day. In addition, RNLI lifeguards patrol more than 70 beaches in peak season in the UK, and assisted more than 10,000 people last year.

Running costs average around £330,000 a day. For every £1 raised, 78p is spent on operations, 3p is spent on support and 19p is spent on fundraising

The RNLI is well represented along the North-East coastline with stations located at:

• Berwick upon Tweed - D class inshore (ILB) and Mersey class all weather boat (ALB)
• Seahouses - D class ILB, Mersey ALB
• Craster - D class ILB
• Amble - D class ILB, Mersey ALB
• Newbiggin by the Sea - Atlantic 75 ILB (this is a larger inshore lifeboat)
• Blyth - D class ILB
• Cullercoats - Atlantic 85
• Tynemouth - D class ILB and Severn Class ALB
• Sunderland - D class ILB and Atlantic 85 ILB
• Hartlepool - Atlantic 75 ILB and Trent class ALB

more....

All Lifeboats used by the RNLI are designed by their own in-house engineering team, based at Poole. more....

Naturally, safety is a key feature of the design, ranging from the onboard systems and information management, to the buoyancy and self-righting properties of the craft. more....

Visit the RNLI website to learn more about what they do, and how you can help.

The RNLI is a charity registered in England, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland