The Portishead Lifeboat Trust is a registered charity with a mission statement "To save and protect the lives of the general public, in particular by the provision of a Lifeboat in the Severn Estuary centred on Portishead."

The Trust was founded in 1995, after the Portishead Yacht & Sailing Club marine rescue service was closed down after 25 years.

We are funded entirely by donations and bequests. Donations come not only from the people of Portishead, whose generosity and tremendous support has not gone unnoticed over the past decade, but also from individuals and organisations from all over the country.

We are ineligible for a lottery grant. As an independent lifeboat, neither do we receive funding from the RNLI, although they do provide invaluable assistance with operational and logistical matters.

We are fortunate to have the support of a number of large companies who sponsor equipment and provide kit at 'friendly' rates. Avon & Somerset Constabulary Training School and Kestrel Managed Workspaces kindly allow us to use their meeting rooms in Portishead for crew training sessions.