Barry Dock Lifeboat Station celebrates RNLI’s 200th anniversary
On Monday (4 March 2024) the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) will celebrate 200 years of saving lives at sea – thanks to volunteers, like those at Barry Dock Lifeboat Station, giving their time to save others, all funded by voluntary public donations.
On the day the charity turns 200, the RNLI is revealing its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved an incredible 146,277 lives during its two centuries of lifesaving.
Barry Dock RNLI Lifeboat Station was founded in 1901 and in that time its crews have launched the lifeboats 1700 times and saved 315 lives.
Barry Dock has had 9 lifeboats over its 123 year history, with the first being the Watson class John Wesley, and is about to welcome a new state-of-the-art Shannon class all-weather lifeboat to its new port home, the Richard and Caroline Colton II.
A Service of Thanksgiving to mark 200 years of the RNLI will take place at Westminster Abbey in London on 4 March. It will be attended by representatives from RNLI lifesaving communities around the UK and Ireland, including Barry Dock’s longest serving crew members Hugh Davies and Mark Fisher.
Speaking of the honour of attending the service, Hugh Davies, Lifeboat Assessor Trainer and volunteer Deputy Coxswain said:
‘I had the pleasure of being involved at our lifeboat station with the RNLI’s 175th anniversary. To be asked to go and represent our lifeboat station and our volunteer crew at Westminster Abbey for the RNLI’s 200th anniversary, along with representatives from all lifeboat stations across the UK and Ireland and other parts of the RNLI is an enormous privilege.
Adding to this Mark Fisher, volunteer Crew Member of over 30 years at Barry Dock Lifeboat Station said of attending the service in Westminster it is 'a great honour and a privilege.' He continued by saying:
‘My thoughts will be with all the people who have made this day possible, to the volunteer crew members who have gone before me; the 200 years of life saving; the difference and impact that the RNLI has had on the families of those who’s lives have been saved. I will be representing them on this once in a lifetime opportunity.’
Barry Dock Lifeboat Station will be marking the 200th anniversary of the charity by presenting the RNLI Standard to All Saint’s Church on Park Road in Barry, followed by a celebration brass band concert.
Andy Gavan, Coxswain of Barry Dock Lifeboat Station said:
‘I and every Coxswain before, in the 123 year history of Barry Dock Lifeboat Station – and in the RNLI’s 200 years as a charity founded on the vision for a service dedicated to saving lives at sea, is a custodian of our history and collectively responsible for our charities present and future existence.
'It is an immense privilege to witness our longest serving crew members represent our lifeboat station, our volunteer crew past and present on the RNLI’s 200th anniversary.’
Founded in a London tavern on 4 March 1824 following an appeal from Sir William Hillary, who lived on the Isle of Man and witnessed many shipwrecks, the RNLI has continued saving lives at sea throughout the tests of its history, including tragic disasters, funding challenges and two World Wars.
Two centuries have seen vast developments in the lifeboats and kit used by the charity’s lifesavers – from the early oar-powered vessels to today’s technology-packed boats, which are now built in-house by the charity; and from the rudimentary cork lifejackets of the 1850s to the full protective kit each crew member is now issued with.
The RNLI’s lifesaving reach and remit has also developed over the course of 200 years. Today, it operates 238 lifeboat stations around the UK and Ireland, including four on the River Thames, and has seasonal lifeguards on over 240 lifeguarded beaches around the UK. It designs and builds its own lifeboats and runs domestic and international water safety programmes.
While much has changed in 200 years, two things have remained the same – the charity’s dependence on volunteers, who give their time and commitment to save others, and the voluntary contributions from the public which have funded the service for the past two centuries.
RNLI Chief Executive, Mark Dowie, says ‘It has been an honour and a privilege to be at the helm of the RNLI for the past five years, and to see the charity reach its bicentenary. For a charity to have survived 200 years based on the time and commitment of volunteers, and the sheer generosity of the public donating to fund it, is truly remarkable. It is through the courage and dedication of its incredible people that the RNLI has survived the tests of time, including tragic losses, funding challenges, two World Wars and, more recently, a global pandemic.
‘Today, we mark the bicentenary of the RNLI. We remember the achievements and commitment of all those who have been part of the RNLI family over the past two centuries; we celebrate the world-class lifesaving service we provide today, based on our 200 years of learning, expertise and innovation, and we hope to inspire future generations of lifesavers and supporters who will take the RNLI into its next century and beyond.
‘I am immensely grateful to everyone who is involved with the charity – our volunteers, supporters and staff. This is our watch and it is our role to keep our charity safe and secure so it can continue to save lives into the future, as we strive in our vision to save every one.’
Throughout its bicentenary year, the charity is running events and activities to remember its important history and celebrate the modern lifesaving service it is today, while hoping to inspire generations of future lifesavers and supporters.
For further information about the RNLI’s 200th anniversary, visit RNLI.org/200.
Notes to Editors:
- Statistics from RNLI Operational Data from 4 March 1824 to 31 December 2023 inclusive. A life saved shows how many of the people helped by the RNLI would have lost their life had the RNLI not been there.
- Click here to access the RNLI 200th anniversary media pack, which contains a selection of RNLI archive images from key points in the charity’s history, an RNLI history timeline, and a film of ‘200 years in 200 seconds’ – all of which can be downloaded.
- Under embargo until Monday 4 March 2024
Media contacts:
- Amy Mills, Barry Dock Lifeboat Press Officer: [email protected]
- Claire Fitzpatrick-Smith, Regional Communications Manager: [email protected]
- RNLI press office: 01202 336789 / [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.
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.