RNLI to hold Bamburgh Lifeboat Fun Day to mark charity’s 200th anniversary

Bamburgh Lifeboat Fun Day is free to enter and takes place at Glebe Field, next to St Aidan’s Church, between 11am and 3pm on Saturday 18 May 2024. Visitors can meet local crew from Northumberland’s Lifeboat stations and have fun learning about how to stay safe in the water with the RNLI’s Water Safety Team.

Story-telling interludes by volunteers from the Grace Darling Museum will give younger generations chance to find out about the celebrated North East heroine, whose brave exploits in 1838 led to the rescue of nine people from the Forfarshire Steamer shipwreck off the Farne Islands and made her story forever synonymous with the RNLI and its volunteer lifeboat crews.

The event has been organised in association with Bamburgh Castle Estates whose owner,

Francis Watson-Armstrong, a former RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew member, said: ‘Bamburgh has a long and very proud association with saving lives at sea. A forerunner to the RNLI, the Castle served as an early lifeboat station in the 18th century with the Castle’s then owners - The Lord Crewe Trustees - commissioning the first lifeboat in 1786 to aid shipwrecked mariners in the treacherous waters off the Castle.

‘Added to this are the amazing efforts of Bamburgh heroine Grace Darling. Bamburgh’s lifesaving heritage continues today through the brave and tireless work of the RNLI volunteer lifeboat crews. We are delighted to support the RNLI with this Lifeboat Fun Day, celebrating so many lives saved while helping many more people stay safe in the water while having fun.’

A unique and inspiring art instillation will see 146 yellow wellies laid out on display - each powerfully representing a thousand lives saved in the past 200 years by the RNLI thanks to volunteers giving their time to save others, all funded by voluntary public donations.

Visitors can enjoy the immersive experience by taking part in shanty singing, listening to story-tellers, posing for pictures in crew kit and alongside a working lifeboat and they are invited to write their own messages to crew by dropping notes into one of 146 yellow wellies.

The RNLI was 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, including four on the River Thames, and has seasonal lifeguards on over 240 lifeguarded beaches around the UK and Ireland. 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.

Bamburgh Lifeboat Fun Day will be held at: Glebe Field, Radcliffe Road, Bamburgh NE69 7T from 11am to 3pm. All are welcome.

Seahouses Lifeboat Station Open Day will be held the same weekend, from 10am to 2.30pm on Sunday 19 May.

Station tours will take place every 30 minutes from 15 and 45 minutes past the hour and there are activities for children. Visitors can be shown around both the station’s lifeboats - the Shannon Class John and Elizabeth Allan and D Class inshore lifeboat Peter Downes. All are welcome.

Notes to Editors

Photo captions/credit:

Video and photos can be downloaded from this online collection. https://source.rnli.org.uk/share/B323EE81-3EF8-4BB6-86340E194A216BC7/

Copyright: Drone Studio North East.

Media contacts

For further information contact Regional Communications Manager Beth Robson [email protected] or the RNLI press office on 01202 336789 / [email protected].

RNLI online

For more information, please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the RNLI News Centre.

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 more than 146,000 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.