Volunteer crew from across Scotland share their story on RNLI 200 Voices podcast

‘How do you find a lone rower in a small boat, in the Outer Hebrides at night?’ That’s the question posed, and answered, by Stornoway RNLI volunteer John Maclennan in The Old Man and the Loch which is first up on the platform on Sunday next 26 November.

On Thursday 30 November the RNLI 200 Voices podcast presents its first Scots Gaelic episode. Mallaig RNLI volunteer crew Michael Ian Currie says that ‘being an RNLI crewman is not just about saving people in the water.’ The Mallaig coxswain tells the story of rescues from Na Garbh Criochan or The Rough Bounds.

Coming up next month are stories from four more Scottish lifeboat stations.

· Kirkcudbright: From the RNLI archives the late George Davidson remembers an arduous rescue along with Portpatrick RNLI. (5 December)

· Broughty Ferry: Robin Smith speaks of the Mona disaster when eight lives were lost, and he should have been on the vessel. (8 December)

· Dunbar: Martin Stephen has three sons and five grandchildren and he reveals how none of them would be here without the RNLI. (23 December)

· Longhope: Christine Bradshaw describes ‘life at the extremes’. (27 December)

The RNLI 200 Voices podcast series is produced by Dan Holland, a former Lifeboat Press Officer at Kessock RNLI in Inverness.

Other Scottish episodes already available include contributions from RNLI volunteers at Kessock, Tobermory, Largs, Fraserburgh, Longhope, Wick, Anstruther, Aith, North Berwick and Peterhead.

Available across all podcast platforms and the RNLI’s website, listeners can hear this episode and others from survivors, supporters, volunteers, lifeguards, celebrity ambassadors, historians and many more from across Wales, England, Scotland Ireland and beyond.

Launch into a podcast like no other: Listen to the RNLI’s 200 Voices daily wherever you get your podcasts or at RNLI.org/200Voices.

To find out more about the RNLI’s bicentenary, visit www.RNLI.org/200.

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

· November episodes and pictures available this link https://source.rnli.org.uk/share/5B79EA23-70D7-4976-B943FD82FE1AD3EE/

· An RNLI spokesperson is available for interviews.

· An audio trailer for 200 Voices can be downloaded here and a video trailer can be downloaded here.

· Find out more about the RNLI’s bicentenary at RNLI.org/200

RNLI media contacts

To arrange an interview or for more information about the 200 Voices podcast series, contact Tom McGuire, RNLI Regional Media Officer, on [email protected] or 00353 874764436.

Alternatively, you can contact the RNLI Press Office on [email protected] or 01202 336789.

RNLI online

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.