Christmas turkey cooking disasters came top in the list of ultimate Christmas day dramas for Brits, according to a new survey* commissioned by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) charity. Six out of 10 Brits are most worried this Christmas about the turkey – burning it or not defrosting it in time for the most important meal of the year.
Respondents highlighted other common Christmas turkey nightmares including dropping the turkey when taking it out of the oven, forgetting to remove the plastic bag of giblets, forgetting to turn the oven on, the turkey being too big for the oven, or even pets taking a sneaky bite out of the turkey! Getting the Christmas lunch just right is a concern for most, although Christmas dinner can fall by the wayside completely for any of the 4,500 RNLI volunteer lifeboat crews who are ready to drop everything, including the Christmas turkey, to respond to emergency calls at sea.
For the last 17 years RNLI lifeboats have been called out to rescue people in distress at sea every day of the Christmas holiday period. Now they are issuing an ‘SOS’ of their own this Christmas, asking members of the public to start fundraising in the run up to RNLI SOS day on Friday 25 January 2008 – the charity’s national day of fundraising www.rnli.org.uk/sos.
The survey also revealed that the festive volunteering spirit is alive and well in the family home with two thirds of 16-24 year olds (76 per cent) putting their hands up to decorate the Christmas tree, while 53 per cent of men say they would don rubber gloves and get stuck into the washing up to help out. For some however, volunteering is much more than just a festive activity. RNLI volunteer lifeboat crews are on call 365 days a year and last year many RNLI crews gave up precious time during their family Christmas celebrations, launching lifeboats a total of 96 times and rescuing 81 people during the festive period**.
RNLI volunteer crew member Barrington Taylor from Moelfre in Wales recalls:
‘I was in the middle of opening my Christmas presents with my family when the pager sounded, which came as quite a shock. I dashed down to the station and quite a few relatives came down as well so they could still share the day with their loved ones. Luckily the crew weren’t out for too long, but it did mean a much later Christmas lunch than usual!
‘When that call for help comes, you don’t give a second thought to what day it is, all that matters is getting down to the station and putting your training into action as lives may be at risk.’
The RNLI provides a 24-hour lifesaving service at sea and is also on call and ready to respond to inland flooding, rescuing on average 22 people a day. The charity receives no UK Government funding and relies on donations to keep going. RNLI SOS day on 25 January 2008 encourages people to raise money in any way they can, whether it is organising a Christmas party or a festive face-painting session for the children.
Anne Maton, Fundraising Manager for the RNLI says:
‘Why wait until January to start fundraising? There’s plenty of ways to support the event during the festive season. You could organise an SOS ‘Serve Our Soup’ party inviting friends and family, or arrange a Christmas carol ‘Sing Our Songs’ event and sell tickets? With New Year resolutions to be made, why not aim to do something fun for charity in 2008 and support RNLI SOS day on 25 January, and join the thousands of people who have already signed up to take part.’
For a free RNLI SOS day pack full of fundraising ideas, log on to www.rnli.org.uk/sos or call 0845 121 4999. Members of the public can also show their support for the bravery of the RNLI’s volunteer crew members and lifeguards by making a donation online to the charity too.