Charity Commission launches investigation into ‘rotten’ RNLI after volunteers accuse the 200-year-old lifeboat charity of covering up ‘assaults, sexism and bullying’

• RNLI accused of using donations for hush money to victims of toxic culture

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is being investigated after former staff and volunteers accused it of failing to address alleged assaults, bullying and misconduct.

Southend lifeboat station volunteer Stephen Holford, 55, resigned from the RNLI in 2016 after facing years of bullying, ‘assault’ and harassment. 

Other volunteers accused the charity’s staff of sexism and assault and said the RNLI was ‘disgusting and wrong to the core’, The Times reported. 

The Charity Commission has now launched a regulatory compliance case looking into the RNLI, which was also accused of using non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and ‘hush money funded by donations’ to silence victims. 

Next year, the RNLI will celebrate its 200th anniversary. Yet for many former volunteers, the charity has tarred its reputation of saving lives by not dealing with these serious allegations.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is being investigated after former staff and volunteers accused it of failing to address alleged assaults, bullying and misconduct (File image)

Southend lifeboat station volunteer Stephen Holford, 55, (pictured) resigned from the RNLI in 2016 after facing years of bullying, ‘assault’ and harassment

Mr Holford told The Times his ‘dream’ of being a lifeboatman was shattered after a two-year bullying campaign against him.

He said a senior volunteer forced him face-down into mud in front of members of the public and other volunteers, while in a separate incident he was pushed off a boat while the propellor was still spinning.

The 55-year-old said: ‘He didn’t like me and I knew that… so he assaulted me.’

He added: ‘The night that I had a meeting after I resigned, when they called me in… the looks [my manager] was giving me… he just wanted to kill me… They were just utterly full of hatred.’

Another volunteer told the paper he ‘wasted 13 years’ of his life working for the ‘disgusting’ RNLI and said the charity ‘manipulate[d] the public into believing that the RNLI is this lovely, caring [organisation]’.

He said that just last year he was headbutted at a Christmas fundraiser in Hoylake, Merseyside, after an argument about the RNLI’s work in regards to migrants in the Channel.

That assault was reported to the police and the person responsible was given a conditional caution and had to attend a diversionary course and pay a fine, local police said.

Mr Holford told The Times his ‘dream’ of being a lifeboatman was shattered after a two-year bullying campaign against him. Pictured: RNLI station on Southend pier

The Charity Commission has now launched a regulatory compliance case looking into the RNLI, which was also accused of using non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and ‘hush money funded by donations’ to silence victims (File image)

The RNLI said it ‘took the necessary robust action’ and said additional allegations were investigated but owing to its ‘duty of care and confidentiality to all individuals involved, it is not appropriate to disclose further details in relation to this matter’. 

Other volunteers said sexism was rife in the charity and one woman claimed she had been called a ‘b****’ while on a rescue mission.

Current and former staff members said NDAs were often used to silence people who had bad experiences at the charity.

One former employee even said their compensation would be rescinded if they spoke out against the charity.

They said: ‘It’s hush money. They’re using public donations to cover up the way they’ve mismanaged the company.’

The RNLI said: ‘Like many large organisations, we use non-disclosure agreements on occasions where there is a dispute between two parties and a settlement is agreed to resolve the dispute.’

It said it was ‘fully compliant’ with the Solicitors Regulation Authority guidance and said the NDAs did not stop people reporting anything to the police or regulatory authorities.

The RNLI told The TImes it had an activity session this year refreshing volunteers and staff about its behavioural standards.

The charity added: ‘The RNLI takes allegations and concerns raised by volunteers and staff very seriously and has processes in place to ensure these are heard and investigated. 

‘We have a range of methods that our people can use to report unacceptable behaviour, including a whistleblowing reporting line hosted by a third party. 

‘The RNLI has a code of conduct which outlines the behaviours and values which we expect our staff and volunteers to adhere to. 

‘Where these standards fall short, we will act.’

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