Celebrate someone special

Give a unique gift to your loved ones this festive season: help towards the cost of a new Offshore Rescue Craft (ORC) for the NSRI, and the names of those you have celebrated will be inscribed on the vessel.

This year, the children and grandchildren of Benjamin Smith will receive a unique gift in their Christmas stockings: a Celebrate a Life certificate from the NSRI. This certificate shows that Benjamin has donated, in their names, towards the purchase of a vital new rescue craft for the NSRI, and that their names will be inscribed on the vessel for the duration of its life.

“I’ve always admired the work of the NSRI. I’d donated to the Launch a Legacy campaign in the past. We recently moved to the coast – Ballito – and my wife forbade me from volunteering for yet another cause! So in this small way, I can contribute to the work of this outstanding organisation.”

Tessa Hinton, too, recently supported the Celebrate a Life campaign by making a donation in honour of her friend, Gavin Tatlow, for his 70th birthday. “He asked all of his friends to donate to the NSRI’s Celebrate a Life campaign, rather than buying presents. It’s such a lovely idea… So that’s what we did!”

The NSRI’s Celebrate a Life campaign allows members of the public to honour loved ones – both living and deceased – by donating towards the NSRI’s next generation of rescue craft, constructed entirely in South Africa. These innovative French-designed ORCs accommodate six volunteer rescuers in shock-mitigating seats, allowing for high-speed operation in difficult sea conditions. It can carry up to 23 survivors, and each vessel costs an estimated R22 million.

For a donation of R1000, you can add the name of a loved one to this rescue craft and give a unique and thoughtful gift. Whether it’s a Christmas gift, a birthday, an anniversary, a wedding, a special thank you, or a wish to remember someone who is no longer with you – surprise and honour them with a gift that supports a worthy cause and helps save lives.

“In April 2022, we launched the first fully South African-built ORC, The Legacy, at NSRI Hermanus [Station 17],” says NSRI fundraising manager Alison Smith. “She carries the names of so many loved ones who were honoured by our donors, who helped us build this incredible rescue vessel. We have now decided to give our supporters another opportunity to celebrate someone special by placing their name on the next ORC, which will be based at NSRI Gqeberha – they will be with our crew each time they launch to save a life.”

If you’d like to honour someone you love by supporting the Celebrate a Life campaign, click here to fill out the donation form.

Add 1 name to the boat for a donation of R1 000; add two names to the boat at a reduced donation of R900 per name, a 10% saving; and add 3 or more names to the boat at a reduced donation of R800 per name, a 20% saving!