Fred. Olsen to Celebrate 40 Years of Support with RNLI Award

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution at the charity’s annual presentation of awards at the Barbican Centre, London on 27 May 2010. Fred. Olsen and its passengers have loyally supported the RNLI for 40 years and is the charity’s, and possibly the sector’s, longest running corporate partnership.

Funds are raised on board its cruise liners through raffles, quizzes, church services, foreign coin collections and auctions. Fred. Olsen has also supported the charity by donating numerous cruise prizes, which in turn has helped generate funds for the charity through the Lifeboat lottery and other competitions.

The money donated by Fred. Olsen passengers has funded three inshore lifeboats, three mobile training units, kitted out three seminar rooms at The Lifeboat College, and paid for the development work on the RNLI's DODO (drive on, drive off) lifeboat launching trolleys, in addition to funding three of them.

In autumn 2009, Fred. Olsen achieved its latest fundraising target of £150,000 for a fourth inshore lifeboat, an Atlantic 85 due on service in 2010/11, raising £91,000 towards it in 2009 – its best year to date.

Rhys Parker, the RNLI’s corporate partnerships officer, says:

‘By funding inshore lifeboats and essential training facilities, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has made a vital contribution towards helping our volunteer crews save lives at sea over several decades. Our lifeboat crews rescue 22 people every day and as a charity, we receive no government funding and rely on donations. We are extremely grateful for Fred. Olsen’s ongoing support and this is a great opportunity to say a huge thank-you to its passengers and crew who have helped to raise funds over the last 40 years.’

Matt Grimes, Director of Planning at Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, comments:

‘The long-standing association between the RNLI and Fred. Olsen is one of which we are immensely proud, and the enthusiasm of our passengers in their fundraising activities is wonderful. A lot of our passengers are members of the RNLI already, and we look forward to welcoming many more of them onboard in the future.’