Torbay RNLI attend RNLI 200th Anniversary celebrations in London
Nine long standing volunteers from Torbay RNLI and their families were invited to attend a RNLI dedicated Buckingham palace party on Thursday 23rd May celebrating the Institution’s 200 years of saving lives at sea.
Four of the Torbay’s invitees are Fundraisers who do such a vital job maintaining the support of the local community as well as raising critical funds for the station. They include Lysbeth James, Annie Schofield, Janet Rayner and Pat Welch who formally received 20-year awards last week from Torbay’s Coxswain Andrew Medley.
The other five Torbay representatives included Mike Gilbert, Torbay RNLI’s Treasurer of 30 years and four crew members Simon James (30 years service), Richard Fowler (30 years), Darryll Farley (20 years) and Ian Barnaby (20 years and recipient of the British Empire Medal).
‘Wow, what a day!” As Simon James explained; “It started at 9:00am. A group of us were honoured to be invited to a special ceremony at London Paddington station at which a new ‘RNLI 200’ livery was unveiled on the side of GWR’s Train ‘Solomon Browne’, named after the Penlee lifeboat that was so tragically lost at sea in 1981.’
The new RNLI 200 commemorative livery features 172 RNLI locations across the GWR network, stretching from Angle in south-west Wales to Selsey in West Sussex, and from Sennen Cove in Cornwall to Portishead in Bristol.
‘We then rushed back to the hotel for a quick change of clothes before heading off to the garden party at Buckingham Palace.’
The Torbay RNLI guests were amongst 2,500 other long-serving lifeboat volunteers and their families from across UK and Eire who attended. The RNLI 200th Anniversary Garden Party was being held by HRH The Princess Royal, accompanied by Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and HRH The Duke of Kent.
RNLI Chief Executive Mark Dowie, said at the party: ‘We are incredibly honoured that His Majesty The King has granted permission for the RNLI 200th Anniversary Garden Party to take place at Buckingham Palace in celebration of 200 years of saving lives at sea.
‘Our hosts, The Princess Royal, The Duke of Kent, and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, have been hugely supportive of our charity over many decades and it will be a huge honour and privilege for many of our volunteers and staff to meet them.’
Since the RNLI was founded on 4 March 1824, following an appeal to the nation from Sir William Hillary, the charity has saved more than 146,277 lives – this equates to an average of two lives saved every day for 200 years.
Today, the RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations around the UK and Ireland, including four on the river Thames, and has seasonal lifeguards on around 240 lifeguarded beaches around the UK.
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.
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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.