Blackpool 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 Blackpool RNLI 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.
Blackpool RNLI Lifeboat Station was founded 160 years ago in1864 and in that time its crews have launched the lifeboats 2,786 times and saved 479 lives.
From 1864 with the first lifeboat station on Lytham Road, through to 1974, Blackpool was home to all-weather lifeboats. Now a dedicated RNLI lifeboat station operating an inshore lifeboat, Blackpool RNLI are one of only two stations in the UK and Ireland to operate three inshore lifeboats. In 2023, the volunteer crews responded to callouts 148 times leading to 114 launches, saved 14 lives and assisted a further 42 people to safety.
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 David Warburton, Lifeboat Operations Manager and Phil Denham, Launch Authority from Blackpool RNLI. Between them, they have over 85 years RNLI volunteer service as operational crew at Blackpool.
Phil Denham was awarded the RNLI Bronze medal in January 1988 as a D class helm, rescuing sailors off Blackpool in storm force conditions. Phil joined Blackpool RNLI in 1969, and is still volunteering today. David Warburton has just received his RNLI 30 year medal, having served as volunteer helm for both class lifeboats at the station, before taking on his current Lifeboat Operations Manager role. They have both been involved in many deployments, saving lives and rescuing many people in distress over that time and remain focused to operational delivery of the Blackpool RNLI team.
David Warburton says:
‘It is an honour for me to be asked to attend the service with such a dedicated Blackpool RNLI volunteer as Phil, to be able to recognise the incredible 200 years of lifesaving of the RNLI charity. We are the latest generation of 160 years of history at Blackpool RNLI, and already we have the next generation coming through.
‘We are busier than ever as an RNLI lifeboat station, but look forward to continuing to build through 2024 to save lives and keep Blackpool safe.’
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
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.