The RNLI charity has lost millions of pounds in expected income this year – and now Maldon district people whose lives have been saved by the lifeboat volunteers are coming forward to give their backing to the Christmas campaign.

Maldon Town Mayor Abdul Hafiz made the RNLI one of his charities of the year because he was saved with others after a fishing trip ran into trouble off the cost of West Mersea in the 1990s.

Councillor Hafiz said: "The RNLI came to our rescue and in all the years since I have never forgotten it."

The Mayor's call for support for the work of the lifeboat charity, so crucial to the district, come as a Maldon radio presenter who was rescued by RNLI West Mersea sent a video sent a video message to thank the crew who saved her life and to lend her support to the RNLI's Christmas appeal.

Lucien Cruse, who lives on the Poets Estate in Maldon, was walking her dogs with her mother and brother Tyler on Bradwell beach in late October when they became stuck in the mud. Lucien was stuck fast, but her mother and brother managed to get free and, realising the seriousness of the situation, 15-year-old Tyler raised the alarm. RNLI West Mersea's inshore lifeboat was on the scene within 10 minutes and pulled Lucien free with the incoming tide already up to her waist.

Covid-19 restrictions have prevented Lucien from returning to the station to say thank you in person, so instead she and Tyler recorded their Christmas message for the crew, which you can see with this article.

In the message, Lucien says: "I became stuck in the mud while walking along the low tide. I must admit I was pretty scared – the tide came up all the way to my waist. It took the lifeboat only about 10 minutes to reach us from West Mersea. They got me out within three of four seconds, it was amazing. I'm so grateful to the crew for saving my life. Thank you for saving lives every day, and we hope you have a wonderful Christmas."

Stephan Jay was part of the inshore lifeboat crew that day: "We have a lot of mudflats along the Blackwater Estuary and knowing that the tide was coming in, we knew that every second counted. We were able to launch Just George and arrive on scene quickly thanks to our training. We were able to dig Lucien out within a minute before handing her over into the care of the emergency services waiting on shore. Tyler having the means to dial 999 so quickly undoubtedly saved Lucien's life that day.'

The costs of the pandemic for the RNLI charity

The RNLI is launching its Christmas appeal after losing millions in income as fundraising activities had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. In 2020, the RNLI purchased 6.7 million units of coronavirus PPE including almost 700,000 face masks, 2.4 million gloves and just under 5,000 litres of hand sanitiser, at a cost of £1.2million.

This was money the charity hadn't planned to spend, at a time when RNLI shops were forced to close and fundraising events were cancelled. West Mersea RNLI had to cancel its popular Boxing Day Dip this year due to coronavirus restrictions. Last year, the event had 147 participants and raised over £4,000 in donations from sponsorship and the hundreds of spectators.

RNLI lifesavers have continued to work tirelessly throughout the pandemic to keep people safe as lockdown restrictions eased and people flocked to the coast. Over the summer, there was a 64 per cent increase in the number of recreational water users aided by RNLI lifeboats. The charity's lifeguards also reported an increase in the number of visitors to beaches.

As a charity, the RNLI relies on the support of the public to continue saving lives – and that support is needed now more than ever. To make a donation to the RNLI's Christmas Appeal visit the link to the RNLI website here.