WE’D like to thank Jacqui Broadbridge for her comments about the RNLI and we’re grateful for her support for the charity.

Her letter (‘Let Government or rescued sailors help to fund RNLI’, Letters, January 21) touches on a long-running debate.

A small number of people feel the RNLI should receive Government funding, but the majority of supporters are fiercely proud that we’ve remained a charity since 1824.

Yes, we rely on voluntary contributions, but such independence allows us to operate without fear of intervention or political influence.

The description of our headquarters building as “state-of-the-art” is surely a compliment.

Bearing in mind only one in ten of our volunteer lifesavers comes from a maritime background, we must invest in the best equipment and facilities in order to give our volunteers world-class training.

We are open about the salary of Paul Boissier, our chief executive, and disclose it in our annual reports.

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It is entirely in keeping with the charity sector – we’re confident our pay structures are fair and appropriate to a world-class search and rescue organisation and charity.

And whilst we strive to encourage responsible behaviour and urge the public to take necessary precautions, we do not judge or criticise casualties – after all, even the most experienced sea-goers can get into trouble.

Evidence suggests charging people for our services would deter them from calling for help save for extremely dangerous situations, but this could pose a significant risk to life and is not something we feel is right.

We hope Jacqui can understand our point of view and may consider supporting us again in the future.

In the meantime, we thank her and all our supporters for their generosity.