RNLI Volunteer Crew Sing for The King & Queen
It was the biggest stage yet for RNLI Portishead’s very own Shanty Band, The 85ers and might possibly just be the biggest occasion they ever sing at!
Just 6 weeks ago Lu, Paul, Jake, Nick, Jem and Chris, who are all active RNLI crew volunteers based at Portishead, were looking forward to their normal week when a call came through to Paul saying that they had been selected to audition for the chance to perform at His Majesty the King’s Coronation. They were told that there was an audition process to go through and it might come to nothing, but they were keen to represent their charity and thought it was worth a shot.
And so, it began. After a couple of visits by the BBC film crew to the lifeboat station in Portishead, The 85ers Sea Shanty Band were finally told that they had made it and had been selected to ‘Sing for The King!’ They were all so excited with a mixture of being terrified, honoured, to disbelief.
Keeping everything ‘top secret’, the long days started with their day jobs and rehearsing in the evenings. Video calls, media interviews for TV and radio came in from across Europe, many hours of practice and if that wasn’t enough, they had to learn sign language in order to sing with the Deaf Choir for a few lines of the chosen song.
A visit to Windsor Castle the weekend before the Coronation was also on the agenda for the volunteers, a full-dress rehearsal with Gareth Malone who directed the Choir and all the artists who appeared on the stage that night. Lionel Richie, Take That, Olly Murs and Katy Perry were amongst the list of performers. Whilst the Choir which was pulled together from up to 30 different singing groups across the country, were rehearsing in St Georges Chapel, Paul and Lu were asked to meet two very special visitors who came along to say hello. Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh walked in, Paul said ’it all became a bit real when Lu and I spoke to Edward and Sophie, what an honour!
We then moved to rehearse on the stage at Windsor Castle, standing on the stage with all the other 294 Coronation Choir members really hit us on what we were about to do.
The weekend was just the most incredible adventure. To spend time doing something so magical with close friends and meeting so many amazing people from around the country is something that will live in my memory for ever!’
Nick said, ‘It was fantastic, immense fun, hugely emotional: excited, nervousness and tremendous pride and honoured to be a very small part of such a fabulous event.’
Jake said, ‘It was an incredible experience to represent the RNLI and The 85ers at the King's Coronation Concert. It was the culmination of lots of hard work. It was great to meet so many lovely people throughout the whole experience. To sing on stage and TV in front of the Royal Family, and millions around the world, was completely terrifying and incredibly exciting. To also share such an experience with five of my very best friends will be something I will never forget. I hope that we represented the RNLI's values in a positive way, and here's hoping that our involvement will further contribute to the RNLI's mission to save lives at sea. Thank you so much to everybody involved in this truly magical experience.’
Back at home, 9.20pm on the evening of 7th May, The 85ers all received a text notification ‘Launch ILB’ the lifeboat volunteers in Portishead had been called out on a service call just as the Shanty Band were walking back towards the stage at Windsor Castle to join Take That on stage.
Thoughts jumped to their RNLI family back in Portishead as they all responded to the launch request and they were hoping all was going to end well. A stark reminder that the pager can indeed go at any time!
The crew were tasked to a person in difficulty just by the Lifeboat station and was resolved very quickly with crew literally running down the ramp to help a casualty in the water. Just as they got inside the station with the casualty they were tasked again.
This time to launch the lifeboat and help search for a missing person in Clevedon. Just as My Lady Anne, the Atlantic 85 class lifeboat touched the water the crew volunteers were stood down as the person was found safe and well.
A busy weekend for the Portishead volunteers, from Singing for the King to Saving Lives at Sea all in a matter of hours.
If you missed the concert on 7th May, you can still catch up on the BBC iPlayer and you can see The 85ers performing again at the famous Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival this weekend (17th & 18th June). Keep an eye on our social pages to see when they will be back to sing at the lifeboat station in Portishead.
Notes to editors
· All images are ©RNLIPortishead
· RNLI Portishead lifeboat station has been operating since 2015, previously The Portishead Lifeboat Trust operated an independent rescue service from Sugar Loaf Beach in Portishead for 20 years prior to their adoption in to the RNLI charity.
· If you would like to interview any of the 85ers please contact Helen on the number/email below.
RNLI media contacts
For more information please telephone Helen Lazenby, RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 07800 595 995 or contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.
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For more information on the RNLI please visit rnli.org. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI News Centre rnli.org/news-and-media.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates over 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824 its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,200 lives.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.