As well as helping to support the RNLI with vehicles we'll be working with them on a new water safety campaign to help educate people how to stay safe, while enjoying being in, on and close to the water.
We’re absolutely thrilled that the RNLI have chosen the Ranger. It’s a vehicle we’re immensely proud of. And the fact the RNLI believe it’s well suited to their needs is an incredible testament to its all-round capability. For the next 3 years Ford will be the official vehicle supplier to the RNLI. Most visibly we’ll be supporting their great work with the Ford Ranger, which will help lifeguards patrol beaches up and down the UK.
To date the RNLI have saved the lives of over 141,000 people in UK or Irish waters. Using the Ford Ranger, Transit Connect, Transit Custom, Transit, Fiesta, Focus, EcoSport and Kuga, we’re going to help them save even more.
Andy Barratt
Chairman and Managing Director of Ford Britain.
If lifeboats are the visual presence of the RNLI on sea, then the Ford Ranger will be the charity’s visual presence on land. RNLI lifeguards will make use of the Ranger’s 4WD capabilities to transit the country’s beaches while keeping the public safe. Helping to carry a wide range of rescue equipment, as well as deploying and recovering jet skis, its space and pulling power will be put to good use.
The Connect will serve two main roles. As well as being the RNLI’s main community vehicle, ferrying equipment and other resources to and from the beaches where RNLI lifeguards are based, it will also be used by volunteers to transport fundraising materials to events.
Major maritime search and rescue incidents call for a large vehicle. That’s where the Transit comes into its own. For longer term deployment on location as an operations base, or as a welfare centre, the Transit does the job.
The Transit Custom will also be a reliable work horse for the RNLI’s engineers. They’ll use it to visit lifeboat stations to undertake vital maintenance on lifeboats, radios, radar and other essential equipment, that helps keep the RNLI operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
A large part of the RNLI’s work is educating people about water safety. Vehicles from the Ford range, including Fiesta, Focus, EcoSport and Kuga, will be used by the charity’s team of educators to carry these lifesaving messages to schools and public events around the UK.