Teddington RNLI Lifeboat Station to Welcome Historical Boat at Open Day
On Saturday May 25th Teddington RNLI Lifeboat Station will celebrate the charity’s 200th birthday with a station Open Day and a rare chance to see a historical lifeboat.
The former Whitby Lifeboat, William Riley, was built in 1909 and was in service to the RNLI until 1931. It is rarely seen outside its home in Whitby, where it is owned by the Whitby Historic Lifeboat Trust.
On May 25th at around 2.30pm the final team of the total of 25 rowers will complete a two-day row from Gravesend along the Thames to Teddington Lifeboat station. The teams are made up of members of the trust and the four Thames Lifeboat Stations, Gravesend, Tower, Chiswick and Teddington, accompanied by a cox and a bow person. For the final stretch of this impressive ‘row’, the boat will be accompanied by a picket boat for safety and smaller craft from local rowing and skiff clubs.
The lifeboat station will open its doors from 2pm on Saturday May 25th when visitors will be able to take a close look at Teddington’s inflatable lifeboats, meet volunteer crew members and visit the boat hall. Other emergency services will be coming along with their special vehicles. In addition, there will be a variety of stalls along the waterfront including the RNLI, The Wharf and participating boat clubs.
Come along for a chance to meet Stormy Stan, pick a duck for June’s duck race and help celebrate 200 years of the RNLI. Teddington RNLI Lifeboat Station can be found at Fairmile House, Twickenham Road, Teddington, TW11 8BA, opposite The Wharf Restaurant.
Matt Allchurch, Lifeboat Operations Manager at the lifeboat station said, ‘It is always great for us to meet local friends on our Open Day. This year is very special as we celebrate 200 years and the great effort by the teams who will have rowed the William Riley 50 miles.’
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Notes to Editor:
· Find out more about the RNLI’s bicentenary at RNLI.org/200.
· Teddington RNLI lifeboat station is one of four on the River Thames and is crewed and run by over 30 volunteers.
· The RNLI is a national charity solely funded by donations and legacies
RNLI media contacts
For more information please telephone Gianna Saccomani, RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 07798905515 or [email protected] or Grace Palmieri, RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 07855487508 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.