The Royal National Lifeboat Institution has selected a design for a sculpture to pay tribute to the hundreds of volunteer crew members who have lost their lives while saving others at sea.

The sculpture, by Sam Holland, will be located at the charity's Poole headquarters, opposite The Lifeboat College, home of the RNLI', where future generations of lifesavers and fundraisers will train, and can be inspired by the memorial.

The sculpture was chosen by a team that represented all the people of the RNLI including those in Cornwall.

They meticulously judged over 64 detailed submissions through three judging steps and unanimously agreed on the final design. It is hoped that the sculpture will be unveiled in the summer of 2009.

The sculpture, of a person in a boat saving another from the water, symbolises the history, and future, of the RNLI in its most basic and humanitarian form.

Radiating from the boat are flat bands of stainless steel, flush with the ground, providing both the effect of waves and a material onto which the names of those who have lost their lives can be engraved.

Relatives and the general public will be able to walk round the sculpture and look at the names of those remembered.

Philip Gilbert, RNLI Sculpture Project Chairman explains: "The selection group has looked at lots of memorial concepts, from traditional to contemporary, and this seems to be a combination of the two. This inspirational and striking sculpture encapsulates the very essence of the RNLI - saving lives around our islands. It is simple and timeless, is accessible and possesses an energy - the power, strength and commitment of a rescue.

"The names of more than six hundred crew members who have lost their lives will become an integral part of the sculpture - written on the sea - a poignant and direct emotional link for anyone wanting to remember, reflect and be inspired. Constructed of stainless steel, a nautical reference, it will fit well in its surroundings, close to the sea."

The sculpture, that will ultimately sit in a memorial garden, will be open to the public and is intended to be accessible at all times.

The project is being managed and funded through the RNLI Heritage Trust, which was set up to preserve the historic objects and archives of the Institution for future generations.

Philip Gilbert continues said: "It is likely that the sculpture and its setting will cost more than £150,000. This is clearly a large sum to find, however, the money given so generously to the RNLI for the provision of our lifesaving services cannot be used for directly this memorial. "Therefore the RNLI Heritage Trust, through crews and staff, has been raising money, nearly £80,000 to date. In fact a large proportion of the funds have come from a sponsored cycle ride from Poole to Rome by the RNLI Chief Executive, Andrew Freemantle.

"We hope that RNLI volunteers, staff and supporters continue to raise the money to allow this worthwhile project to go ahead."

12:43pm Monday 12th May 2008

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