Recognition for three RNLI members who have together volunteered for 70 years

RNLI volunteer Colin Marks joined as a volunteer lifeboat crew member on both the inshore and all-weather lifeboats in January 1993. Colin completed just over 10 years of service on the inshore lifeboat, retiring from that boat in 2003 and continued on the all-weather lifeboat for a further 13 years.

During Colin’s continued volunteer service he became one of the all-weather lifeboat assistant mechanics that are on hand to monitor and maintain the lifeboat whilst at sea. That role also saw him volunteering an extra evening every week to perform maintenance of the lifeboat so that it is always ready to go to sea.

In his time as a crew member at Swanage Colin attended 300 incidents and clocked up more than 1000 hours at sea on rescues with over half of them being during the hours of darkness.

In 2016 Colin stepped down from his role on the seagoing crew, but his volunteering did not stop there. Colin decided to take on a position as Deputy Launch Authority, which gave him responsibility for overseeing the lifeboat launches following the request from HM Coastguard for assistance.

Colin has given another seven years of service in this role, taking his total service to 30 years for the RNLI.

Paul Bedford and Dan Lander joined the Swanage RNLI in 2003. They have both grown up in Swanage and went to school together along with several other fellow crew members. They are both still active crew members today.

Paul has dedicated his volunteer time as shore crew being responsible for the launch and recovery of various Swanage lifeboats over the years. In his early years Paul trained along side long serving winchman and head launcher Jon Deare.

In 2014 Paul took on the role of head launcher after Jon Deare retired, a role he continues today.

Paul said 'I grew up working on the boats from the Stone Quay and I got to know a few crew members at that time, including Vic Marsh, Walt Bishop and Tony Byron. To me they were classed as the best of the best and I wanted to be a part of the team.'

Over his 20 years Paul has assisted with over 1300 lifeboat launches which has included the launch of our former Mersey class all-weather lifeboat, our current Shannon class lifeboat, and our D-class inshore lifeboat.

Dan is part of our seagoing crew, being a volunteer on both the inshore and all-weather lifeboats. In addition to a role as crew, in 2008 Dan became a Navigator on the all-weather lifeboat and in 2011 he became one of the Helms of the inshore lifeboat.

Dan is one of the few crew who has a maritime background having crewed on local fishing boats for many years, bringing valuable experience of the local coastal area to his roles at the RNLI. Today he also gets to apply the seagoing knowledge he has accumulated over the years to his day job as part of the Dorset Police Marine Force Support Group.

Dan said 'I was raised in a fishing family, and fortunate to have spent my childhood on and around boats. I left school at 16 and began working as a lobster fisherman with my father out of Swanage. Fishing can be a dangerous job and it provided me with a respect for the water. I joined the Swanage lifeboat crew, keen to help others who found themselves in difficulty at sea.'

Over the years Dan has amounted over 700 sea hours with the RNLI, attending 115 incidents and being involved in the saving of five lives, and aiding with the rescue of over 100 people.

Swanage Lifeboat Coxswain, Dave Turnbull said ‘I am fortunate to have served with Colin, Paul and Dan. We are lucky to have so many crew at Swanage who have committed to volunteer for such long periods of time and I'm very grateful for their dedication'.

Notes to Editors

• Photograph of Colin Marks, Paul Bedford and Dan Lander. Credit - Becky Mack

RNLI volunteer media contact

For more information please telephone Becky Mack, Swanage RNLI Volunteer Press Officer on 07812 558487 or at [email protected]

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.

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