Swanage RNLI celebrates naming ceremony for new inshore lifeboat.
Volunteers at Swanage Lifeboat Station gather to officially welcome their new inshore lifeboat, Roy Norgrove (D-884), to the station on Saturday 23rd March.
The event welcomed volunteers from Swanage Lifeboat Station and members of the local community among its attendees, and Senior Helm, Darren Tomes officially named the inshore lifeboat. 'It's an honour to officially welcome Roy Norgrove to the station. Equally, to be invited to sign the RNLI Connecting Communities Scroll alongside my wife, Dee, who also volunteers with the fundraising team here at Swanage RNLI.'
Roy Norgrove arrived at the station in December 2023, replacing the outgoing Phyl and Jack, which had been on service since July 2012, and marks the end of a long history of inshore lifeboats funded by Phyl and Jack Cleare, lifelong friends and supporters of both Swanage and Weymouth Lifeboat Stations and their crews. Since arriving at the station, Roy Norgrove has assisted in three launches, and attracted many keen lifeboat supporters to station open days.
The naming of the new inshore lifeboat is a fitting tribute to the Norgroves’ memory and dedication to the RNLI and its volunteers, and serves as a long lasting reminder of their years’ long association with the Institution. For most of his life, Roy was a familiar face around Poole Headquarters, where he helped raise funds for the Institution through the RNLI Jewellery Appeal amongst other efforts. Following her passing in 2019, Doreen Norgrove willed half of her estate to the RNLI with the wish that it be used for the purchase of a lifeboat in memory of her late husband.
The ceremony ended with the inshore lifeboat crew launching the vessel to demonstrate its capabilities to attendees.
Notes to editors
The RNLI Connecting Communities scroll began its journey at Westminster Abbey on Monday March 3rd 2024, and will finish its travels in Douglas on the Isle of Man, the home of Sir William Hillary, in October 2024, and during the journey, it will visit every region served by the charity.
For more information please contact:
Becky Mack, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, [email protected]
Charmaine Tideswell, Volunteer Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer,
[email protected]
Regional Media Manager Hatti Mellor,
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RNLI press office on 01202 336789 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 over 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and, in a normal year, 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..
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.