Blackpool RNLI has shared a heartfelt message from a supporter after lifeboat crews across the charity faced criticism in the wake of recent migrant rescue operations in the English Channel.
The message was published by RNLI Blackpool on its Facebook page, with the station saying it wanted to share words sent privately by a supporter amid the ongoing debate surrounding the charity's work.
In the post, Blackpool RNLI acknowledged the "national comments" directed at the organisation, which it said had also been reflected on its local social media pages.
The supporter praised volunteers for risking their own safety to save lives at sea and rejected claims made by some critics that RNLI crews act as a "taxi service" for migrants crossing the Channel.
The message said: "You don't rescue passports. You don't rescue religions. You don't rescue nationalities. You rescue human beings.
"When that call comes in, you don't get to choose who is worth saving. You don't ask whether someone deserves your help."
The supporter went on to thank volunteers who give up "evenings, weekends, birthdays, Christmases and precious time with their own families" to carry out lifesaving work.
The letter added: "They do not speak for all of us.
"There are so many of us who see what you do. There are so many of us who are proud of you. There are so many of us who would want you coming for our loved ones if they were the ones in trouble."
The post concluded with a message of support for Blackpool's lifeboat crews, saying: "Please keep going. Keep launching. Keep saving.
"Because while some people are busy trying to make compassion something shameful, you are out there proving that a human life is worth saving."
The RNLI has been defending its volunteers in recent days after criticism followed several migrant rescue incidents in the Channel.
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RNLI chief executive Peter Sparkes said there had been "deliberate misinformation and a misunderstanding" about the charity's role and warned that some volunteers and staff had been subjected to online abuse and, in some cases, physical intimidation.
He stressed that RNLI crews are tasked by HM Coastguard to respond to people in danger at sea and said the charity would continue its mission of saving lives regardless of who is in distress.
Blackpool RNLI's post attracted widespread support from followers, with many thanking the station's volunteers for their service and expressing backing for the charity's lifesaving work.
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