Looe lifeboat station celebrates RNLI’s 200th anniversary

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.

Looe RNLI lifeboat station was founded in 1866 and closed in 1930, only to be reestablished as an inshore lifeboat station on 15 June 1992. Between 1866 and 1930 its crews have launched the 3 wooden row / sail lifeboats 31 times saving 74 lives and, since 1992, volunteer crews have launched 1004 times saving 65 lives. Cumulatively the station’s volunteers have launched the lifeboats 1035 times, saving 139 lives.

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 our Lifeboat Operations Manager David Haines, Inshore Lifeboat Helm David Jackman, Lifeboat Press Officer Ian Foster, Lifeboat Visits Officer Carol Foster, volunteer Shop Manager Sue Bungey and her assistant Patricia Calloway. Brothers, Charlie and Beau Gillett, senior lifeguard supervisors with the RNLI’s South East Cornwall Lifeguard Team will also be in attendance.

Looe RNLI Lifeboat Station’s Press Officer, Ian Foster says:

“It is an honour for us to be asked to represent the community of Looe and the station’s current and former crews at the Westminster Abbey, Service of Thanksgiving. Looe RNLI volunteers have been saving lives along the South East Cornish coastline between 1866 and 1930, when the station was closed. Since 1992 crews have been operating the charity’s modern D Class inshore lifeboat, joined by an Atlantic B Class inshore lifeboat since 2003. They are the latest generation to carry forward this lifesaving work. Lifeboating has been carried out by many generations before us, and will be, by many generations to come. Two of our latest volunteer crew Amber Palfrey and Will Jaycock have relatives in the crew, Amber’s father, Clive, and Will’s uncle, Matt, are both senior helms at the station and Amber’s uncle, Del is a volunteer tractor driver.

“Our volunteer boat crews are supported by a small ‘army’ of shop volunteers, boathouse guides and fundraisers. Whilst we don’t have plans for a birthday celebration, preparations by the Looe Boat Owners Association are well underway for the annual Looe raft race on 16 June 2024, which raises valuable funds for the station. Our souvineer shop is open daily where you can purchase specially branded RNLI200 products as well as our existing range of clothing, gifts, cards and calendars. From Easter our boathouse guides will be opening the boathouse daily where the public can see the charity’s inshore lifeboats and launch vehicles, learn about our volunteer crews, how to keep safe on the coast or on the water and the work of the RNLI over the last 200 years and the years to come.

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 200^th anniversary, visit RNLI.org/200.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Photos:

· Stock image - Looe RNLI Atlantic 85 B-894 Sheila and Dennis Tongue II and D Class D-872 Ollie Naismith II
Photo credit RNLI / Ian Foster

Information:

· Re-established as an inshore lifeboat station in 1992, Looe RNLI operate two inshore lifeboats
An Atlantic 85 Sheila and Dennis Tongue II and a D Class Ollie Naismith II

· For further information on Looe RNLI Lifeboats please visit our website https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/looe-lifeboat-station

· Looe RNLI Facebook page www.facebook.com/LooeRNLI

· In 2024, the RNLI will be celebrating 200 years - and counting, commemorating this remarkable past, celebrating our lifesaving achievements today, and inspiring a future where we can save every one. More information on RNLI 200 can be found at https://rnli.org/about-us/our-history/2024

· 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 200^th 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.

Media contacts

For more information please telephone

Ian Foster, RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for Looe Lifeboat Station, on 07902 753228 or [email protected] or [email protected]

or Emma Haines, RNLI Regional Communications Manager, on 07866 668847 or [email protected]

or Amy Caldwell, RNLI Regional Communications Lead, on 07920 818807 or [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.