Messages of love for RNLI pinned to yellow wellies at Bamburgh Lifeboat fun day

Supporters posed for pictures inside a serving D-class inshore lifeboat and chatted to volunteer crew from neighbouring Seahouses Lifeboat Station as well as stocking-up on RNLI merchandise, listening to a choir and ukulele band, and learning valuable skills to stay safe from the charity’s Water Safety Team. Youngsters met RNLI mascot Stormy Stan, tried on replica yellow waterproofs and had snap-shots taken alongside crew cut-outs in a day of family fun.

The most eye-catching of attractions was the installation of 146 authentic yellow wellies worn on lifesaving missions by highly trained crew - each representing 1,000 of the 146,000 lives the charity has saved since it was founded 200 years ago.

People of all ages wrote personal messages of thanks and support and affixed them to their chosen welly. One visitor, who came from South Yorkshire to watch her two friends sing in the Village Voices Seahouses choir, came prepared with a pre-penned poem she had written especially.

Michael Charlton, RNLI Marketing and Visitor Experience Lead, manned the welly installation and heard visitors’ stories of loved ones saved and ancestors crewing lifeboats over the decades.

He said: ‘The support for our lifesaving service and our volunteer crews never ceases to amaze me and it was really strong among the visitors to Bamburgh Lifeboat Fun Day.

‘From children writing wobbly Thank Yous, to adults telling me about family connections, it was a pleasure to watch on as they put down on paper their love for our charity.’

The event was held in Glebe Field in the shadow of Bamburgh Castle and beside St Aidan’s Church. The land is opposite the Grace Darling Museum and birthplace of the North East sea rescue heroine a few doors down.

It was organised in association with Bamburgh Castle Estates. 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.’

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.