Volunteer voices – hear what motivates 10 of the many RNLI volunteers
The RNLI 200 Voices podcast is now complete, with listener numbers still rising as people commemorate and celebrate our charity’s 200th anniversary. From crew members and launchers to fundraisers and educators, brilliant volunteers like you make up a key part of the collection. Hear from some of our volunteer voices …
Porthcawl Pioneer: Aileen Jones
Volunteer Helm Aileen Jones recalls the day she and her crew saved two lives, which resulted in an RNLI Bronze Medal for Gallantry.
Porthcawl RNLI’s first female Helm takes us back to 24 August 2004. The rescue she took part in that day resulted in Aileen becoming the charity’s first female crew member to be awarded an RNLI Gallantry Medal. What advice would she give to aspiring lifesavers?
Friendly Neighbourhood Lifeboatman: Will Sliney
Sliney skills: The Spiderman illustrator on saving lives for real.
In his day job as a graphic artist, Will Sliney spends his time in the company of heroes such as Spider-Man. But the Marvel and Star Wars illustrator has an illustrious backstory himself. Will’s volunteering with the Ballycotton lifeboat crew continued a family tradition that dates back to at least great-grandfather Patsy Sliney, one of Ireland’s most decorated lifeboat volunteers. Patsy was Coxswain during the exhausting 1936 Daunt Rock shout. The ensuing rescue of the eight men aboard the Comet is the stuff of legend. Fittingly, the crew’s heroic actions would go on to be depicted by artists.
Great Scot: Anne Scott
When Anne Scott retired from her full-time job at the RNLI, the Buckie lifeboat crew had other ideas. Now, RNLI stalwart Anne volunteers at the station – and sees the crew as family.
One of Anne’s earliest childhood memories is about trying to stay awake, not for Santa Claus, but for her dad – the mechanic at Cromarty Lifeboat – to return home from a shout. Her mother was a passionate fundraiser, and fittingly, Anne later became an RNLI Fundraising Manager herself. She talks about her latest role as Lifeboat Operations Manager at Buckie, and about another indelible memory – lifeboat crew members putting on their best Beyoncé in fishnets and stilettos.
The Lyrical Lifesaver: Kate Craven
Who doesn’t love a singalong? Meet the RNLI Water Safety Officer whose talks enthral adults as much as kids.
Hunstanton RNLI’s Lifeboat Visits Officer Kate Craven reveals how the Hunstanton volunteers draw in a crowd, why you can’t beat a catchy song, and why, after the children have left the station, some lifesavers are left with a tear in their eye.
Watch the Seaside Safety Song video.
Pay it Forward: Lise Vittrup
There’s more than one way to save a life – RNLI Shop Manager Lise Vittrup on why she’s giving back.
In 1995, when she was a student in Brighton, Lise was taken off guard by powerful waves. Swept out to sea and unable to swim to shore, she clung to the struts of Brighton pier, smashed by unrelenting waves. Hear how Lise’s rescue unfolded – and how her gratitude to the crew led her to join the RNLI’s lifesaving family.
We Are Family: Steve Harris
‘The crew saved a life – and it was mine.’ A Newbiggin volunteer on the camaraderie to be found down at the lifeboat station.
When Steve Harris first walked through the doors of the oldest operational lifeboat boathouse in the UK, it felt like coming home. Steve explains how the strong bonds between the crew have helped him through difficult times and shares how it feels to be a custodian of a lifesaving legacy.
Destination Whitby: Neil Williamson
Since its renovation, Whitby Lifeboat Museum has been drawing a crowd of visitors fascinated by the town’s lifesaving history. Its curator tells us why.
In the first year after its renovation, Whitby Lifeboat Museum saw over 20,000 visitors. New audiences have been drawn by visual and interactive storytelling as well as painstakingly restored artefacts. Museum Curator Neil Williamson reveals his three favourite exhibits, including a suitcase that belonged to Mary Roberts, a survivor of the Titanic. It wouldn’t be the only disaster that Mary and her suitcase would survive.
Lifeboat Lady: Betty Broocks
The lady with RNLI blood in her veins – Rye Fundraiser Betty Broocks on why she devoted 55 years to our charity.
Ninety-one-year-old Betty Broocks lost family members in the 1928 Rye Harbour lifeboat tragedy. She was born just 3 years later, and the legacy of that loss drove Betty to become not simply a fundraiser, but now officially the RNLI’s President of all the Fundraisers. Betty is also the founder of the Lifeboat Ladies – a group of crew’s wives dedicated to saving lives at sea.
Forever Proud: Janet Madron
When Janet Madron attended the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, she wore something special – the medal awarded to her husband Stephen, who was lost in the 1981 Penlee tragedy.
Stephen Madron would do anything for anyone – he even came to Janet’s rescue on the bus to the fair. Years later, she listened as the Coastguard called into the silence for the lost Solomon Browne and her crew. Hear Janet’s account of the Penlee lifeboat disaster – a story of one village’s lost sons, and the hope their loved ones rediscovered. Janet shares why she still loves being an RNLI volunteer and talks about the honour she felt paying the RNLI’s final farewell to our Royal Patron.
Pride and Peril: Mike Picknett
From polishing the lifeboat station brass as a child, to seeing his own son join the crew, Mike Picknett’s connection to the RNLI is lifelong.
The Lifeboat Operations Manager at Redcar, Mike Picknett, was sweeping the lifeboat station floor at the age of 9. Mike recalls his work with the Flood Rescue team – saving families from homes which were about to collapse, navigating flooded streets and not knowing what hazards were under the water. He also shares how it feels to watch his son go out on a shout: a combination of wishing he was there himself – and fatherly concern.