T
TC
Guest
This is the letter I\'ve just sent to Messrs Freemantle and Vlasto.
It\'s the same letter I\'ll be posting to Sir Jock Slater.
If you like, you can use any parts of it you want to include in your own e-mails / letters. I\'d rather they recieved a number of e-mails rather than just one containing several signatories.
Dear Mr Freemantle
(cc M. Vlasto)
North East Sea Angling, (NESA), is an internet based angling \"club\" which came into being approximately 10 years ago and now boasts a membership in excess of 1000.
Whilst, as the name suggests, the membership is largely comprised of anglers from the N.E. area, we do have many members from all over the country and a few from overseas, too.
Primarily, the aim of the site is to provide a forum for like minded anglers who not only have a passion for fishing, but who are also concerned about the wider issues affecting our sport, such as conservation and the marine / coastal environment.
Approximately 4 years ago, it was decided that NESA would \"adopt\" the RNLI as its chosen charity and would raise funds through organised events as well as individual donations.
To date, we have held six fund raising competitions and associated \"on-line\" auctions:
Three shore competitions held from South Shields and Whitley Bay, with the proceeds going to the RNLIs central funds and three large boat fishing competitions - the proceeds from which went to N.E. based Lifeboat Stations:
2003: Amble £2,000
2004: Cullercoats £1,200
2005: Sunderland £1,500
Preparations are underway for this years boat competition, which will take place in May and see the proceeds going to another N.E. based station.
As a result, NESA has so far raised over £7000 for the RNLI. of which, almost £5,000 has gone directly to North East based Lifeboat Stations.
It was anticipated that both the shore and the boat competitions would continue as annual events for many years to come and so continue to help provide vital resources for the RNLI, both nationally and on a more local basis.
However, since learning of the decision to close the Teesmouth Station, coupled with the previous downgradings of both the Sunderland and Blyth stations, I am finding it increasingly difficult to justify the continued support from NESA.
What makes your decision to close the Teesmouth Station more unbelievable, is the fact that you are quoted as having rejected the very generous offer made by the Teesport Authority to provide a new berth suitable for an All Weather Lifeboat, at no cost to the RNLI.
In addition, for the RNLI to have used £400,000 of charitable donations to provide new shore facilities at Teesmouth only two years ago and now make a decision to close the very same station, seems to demonstrate that the RNLI have little consideration for the time and effort given by groups like NESA, and the general public in raising funds to support the RNLI.
I appreciate that the newer boats can cover greater distances in shorter times - GREAT......but use them as an addition to existing services to provide even greater cover - don\'t use them as an excuse to deplete the existing cover. It\'s not as if the RNLI can\'t afford to do that - having in excess of £480 million in reserves, according to your 2004 Statement of Accounts.
Michael Vlasto has been quoted as saying that the decision to close the Teesmouth Station was not made on \"financial grounds\", but on \"an over provision of service\" and that, \"there was more lifeboat cover in the Tees Bay area, including two all-weather lifeboats, than other parts of the UK and it had to make the most effective use of resources.\"
If the decision to remove the RNLI cover from Teesmouth wasn\'t made on \"financial\", but \"over provision\" grounds, can we expect to see the RNLI establishing a new station, complete with a new all weather boat in one of these \"other parts of the country\"?
It was the intention that NESA would eventually hold fund raising boat competitions for ALL the N.E. based Lifeboat Stations (and also continue with fund raising for the RNLI nationally, through our shore competitions) this, as you will appreciate, would result in MANY thousands of pounds being raised.
However, we are now faced with the situation whereby a station we raise funds for one year, may well be closed the following year and thus a lack of trust in the way the money we (and others) raise is managed.
I hope you will take my comments onboard and look again at your decision to close the Teesmouth station. I\'m sure that if the station IS closed, it will result in potentially MANY THOUSANDS of pounds NOT being donated to the RNLI.
Tony Cutter
Site Administrator
NESA
[Edited on 18/4/2006 by TC]
It\'s the same letter I\'ll be posting to Sir Jock Slater.
If you like, you can use any parts of it you want to include in your own e-mails / letters. I\'d rather they recieved a number of e-mails rather than just one containing several signatories.
Dear Mr Freemantle
(cc M. Vlasto)
North East Sea Angling, (NESA), is an internet based angling \"club\" which came into being approximately 10 years ago and now boasts a membership in excess of 1000.
Whilst, as the name suggests, the membership is largely comprised of anglers from the N.E. area, we do have many members from all over the country and a few from overseas, too.
Primarily, the aim of the site is to provide a forum for like minded anglers who not only have a passion for fishing, but who are also concerned about the wider issues affecting our sport, such as conservation and the marine / coastal environment.
Approximately 4 years ago, it was decided that NESA would \"adopt\" the RNLI as its chosen charity and would raise funds through organised events as well as individual donations.
To date, we have held six fund raising competitions and associated \"on-line\" auctions:
Three shore competitions held from South Shields and Whitley Bay, with the proceeds going to the RNLIs central funds and three large boat fishing competitions - the proceeds from which went to N.E. based Lifeboat Stations:
2003: Amble £2,000
2004: Cullercoats £1,200
2005: Sunderland £1,500
Preparations are underway for this years boat competition, which will take place in May and see the proceeds going to another N.E. based station.
As a result, NESA has so far raised over £7000 for the RNLI. of which, almost £5,000 has gone directly to North East based Lifeboat Stations.
It was anticipated that both the shore and the boat competitions would continue as annual events for many years to come and so continue to help provide vital resources for the RNLI, both nationally and on a more local basis.
However, since learning of the decision to close the Teesmouth Station, coupled with the previous downgradings of both the Sunderland and Blyth stations, I am finding it increasingly difficult to justify the continued support from NESA.
What makes your decision to close the Teesmouth Station more unbelievable, is the fact that you are quoted as having rejected the very generous offer made by the Teesport Authority to provide a new berth suitable for an All Weather Lifeboat, at no cost to the RNLI.
In addition, for the RNLI to have used £400,000 of charitable donations to provide new shore facilities at Teesmouth only two years ago and now make a decision to close the very same station, seems to demonstrate that the RNLI have little consideration for the time and effort given by groups like NESA, and the general public in raising funds to support the RNLI.
I appreciate that the newer boats can cover greater distances in shorter times - GREAT......but use them as an addition to existing services to provide even greater cover - don\'t use them as an excuse to deplete the existing cover. It\'s not as if the RNLI can\'t afford to do that - having in excess of £480 million in reserves, according to your 2004 Statement of Accounts.
Michael Vlasto has been quoted as saying that the decision to close the Teesmouth Station was not made on \"financial grounds\", but on \"an over provision of service\" and that, \"there was more lifeboat cover in the Tees Bay area, including two all-weather lifeboats, than other parts of the UK and it had to make the most effective use of resources.\"
If the decision to remove the RNLI cover from Teesmouth wasn\'t made on \"financial\", but \"over provision\" grounds, can we expect to see the RNLI establishing a new station, complete with a new all weather boat in one of these \"other parts of the country\"?
It was the intention that NESA would eventually hold fund raising boat competitions for ALL the N.E. based Lifeboat Stations (and also continue with fund raising for the RNLI nationally, through our shore competitions) this, as you will appreciate, would result in MANY thousands of pounds being raised.
However, we are now faced with the situation whereby a station we raise funds for one year, may well be closed the following year and thus a lack of trust in the way the money we (and others) raise is managed.
I hope you will take my comments onboard and look again at your decision to close the Teesmouth station. I\'m sure that if the station IS closed, it will result in potentially MANY THOUSANDS of pounds NOT being donated to the RNLI.
Tony Cutter
Site Administrator
NESA
[Edited on 18/4/2006 by TC]
