Ashton Kutcher, star of the gripping air sea rescue film The Guardian, got close to the real action on 11 October when he saw RNLI volunteer crew perform a spectacular rescue exercise on the River Thames.

Selsey lifeboat crew member Isabel Porter was joined by TV presenter Lisa Snowdon for the staged rescue which saw Lisa being winched from an RNLI lifeboat into a Royal Navy helicopter. Ashton, who enjoyed a front row seat, knows something of air sea rescue in his alter ego of Jake Fischer, a rookie Coast Guard rescue swimmer. He stars alongside Kevin Costner, who plays Jake's training mentor Ben Randall, in the film The Guardian which hit UK cinemas on 20 October.

The Guardian is an edge-of-your-seat action movie which shows the harsh and perilous conditions that trained rescue swimmers experience. The film also emphasises heroism, sacrifice and the importance of training. So does the RNLI - through the Train One, Save Many campaign, the charity aims to raise funds for crew training, so that more ordinary people can become extraordinary lifesavers

The film's producers are keen supporters and have helped the RNLI reach a wider audience. Local RNLI fundraisers were collecting in many participating cinemas and encouraging people to 'text to donate' from their mobile phones*. Preview screenings were on 16 October and, instead of paying for a cinema ticket, people could donate to the RNLI.

Find out more about The Guardian at thefilmfactory.co.uk

* Anyone with a mobile can support the RNLI by texting 'SAVE' to 84424. Each message will ensure that £1.50 goes towards saving lives at sea.