RNLI Lyme Regis Lifeboat Station

Well worth a look

www.youtube.com/rnlishout

His only hiccup before reaching Lyme Regis happened near Looe when he was struck by a van while walking. He received minor injuries to a leg and arm and did not need treatment. Ahead of him are trips – mainly on buses and on foot – through Hampshire, East and West Sussex and Kent before finishing at Teddington RNLI lifeboat station, the nearest one to his home. Said Nick: “I know some anglers who have been rescued by the RNLI and one day it could be me. This is just my way of saying thank you for everything they do.”

The Lyme Regis shop came top out of 30 in the south west with sales totalling £95,000 last year. St Ives was second and Weymouth third. The re-opening is taking place on the eve of the new season. From March 21^st the shop will be open from 11am to 6pm seven days a week right through to November 1^st. The shop’s manager Alix Fairley said:”We are thrilled with the refurbishment which gives a bright and spacious feel to such a small shop. “We have new shelving, lighting units and a new counter.” Mrs Fairley added:”Our team of volunteers is crucial to the success of the shop, which in its own way is also helping to save lives. “Naturally, we are hoping for another record-breaking year.”

MEDIA interest in two of the youngest new recruits to RNLI lifeboat crews continues at Lyme Regis.  BBC television’s popular Countryfile programme filmed Sunday, January the 18^th, as 17 year olds Grace Wadsworth and Ritchie Durrant took part in a regular, scheduled training session with other volunteer lifeboat crew members.

Birmingham based director-cameraman Alun Beach interviewed the young shore crew members about their voluntary work, the effect it has on their lives and their plans for the future.   The film is expected to be shown in Countryfile at 11am on BBC One on February 1^st.

For those of you carrying a mention of the Dorset Police release on three propellers stolen from the Lyme Regis RNLI lifeboat station, you may be interested in the following response from Rob Fossett, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Lyme Regis: “We have immediately upgraded our security at the lifeboat station, and this includes CCTV.  We do not want to stop the public from viewing their lifeboat.  As a charity, we owe it to the public to remain open to them.  We are receiving tremendous help from Dorset Police and we feel it is simply very sad that anyone would consider stealing from this life saving charity.  I would like to reassure everyone that our ability to maintain our volunteer service has not been compromised by this theft. The stolen propellers were not those fitted to the lifeboat and, of course, spares are always available.”

Ritchie Durrant, the 17 year old whose spell as the youngest lifeboat crew member in Lyme Regis came to an abrupt end after just two weeks, is to take part in an historic radio broadcast.  Ritchie lost his title to Grace Wadsworth who also became the first woman member of the RNLI crew when she reached 17 on November 9^th.  But now Ritchie has been asked to take part in  ‘One Hundred Lives,’ a year-long project in which BBC Radio Solent  keeps in touch with a group of listeners, charting their progress and experiences in many walks of life.

The radio station will be talking to Ritchie at various stages about his lifeboat duties and other aspects of his life.  Eventually, all the interviews will be compiled and sent to the Wessex Film and Sound Archive.  Ritchie said: “The interest in the lifeboat in the past few weeks has been tremendous, and I am delighted to be taking part in the Radio Solent project.”  Ritchie will also be delighted to be invited to a party for all 100 contributors in due course.  In Dorset, Radio Solent can be heard on 999MW

A 17 year old woman has become the first female volunteer crew member at the RNLI’s lifeboat station in Lyme Regis.  Grace Wadsworth who goes to the town’s Woodroffe School, officially became a crew member on November 10^th following her 17^th birthday.  She goes to the same school as Ritchie Durrant who was 17 two weeks ago and then became  the RNLI’s youngest lifeboatman.  Like Ritchie, Grace has special permission to leave school when the lifeboat is launched …so long as she is not sitting an exam or is in the middle of a lesson.

Grace became involved with the RNLI  as part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.  She has finished the bronze and silver sections and is now going for gold.  Sixth-former Grace recently celebrated 13 GCSE passes, including three A stars and eight A grades.  Grace, whose father Tim is also a crew member in Lyme Regis, said: “I am very pleased to be the first woman crew member and hope I won’t be the last.  I would like to be a full sea-going crew member, but I am delighted to be shore crew to start with.”

Grace is a keen sailor and a member of Lyme Regis Sailing Club and is in the navy section of her school’s Combined Cadet Force.  Lyme Regis Lifeboat Operations Manager Rob Fossett said: “Grace has done us proud over the past 18th months. We are keen to promote the RNLI to young people, and I am delighted we can reward Grace’s enthusiasm by welcoming her aboard.  She has first class boat skills and is a very popular member of the team.”  In the southwest there are 30 women crew volunteers. Overall, the RNLI has 4,549 crew of which 376 are female, that’s 8.3percent.

Residents at Shire House residential Home in Lyme Regis raised £500 for the RNLI when they held a summer garden party.  And on November the 5^thof November they presented a cheque to Lyme Regis RNLI Deputy Launching Authority Garry Gibbs.  The twenty residents chose the RNLI for the donation after staging the garden party and inviting family and friends to a barbecue.

A 17 year old Lyme Regis schoolboy has become the youngest member of the volunteer crew of the town’s RNLI lifeboat.

Ritchie Durrant was 17 on October the 26th and was officially accepted as a crew member at one minute past midnight on his birthday.  He is one of four young people who have been attached to the Lyme Regis lifeboat station through the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.  Ritchie, a sixth former at the Woodroffe School, has permission to respond to a lifeboat ‘shout’ when his pager beeps while he is in school so long as he is not in the middle of a lesson or exam.

Ritchie, who has two uncles who are lifeboat crew members, said :”I thoroughly enjoy my involvement with the lifeboat.

“It does give me a buzz, but it is also about giving something to the community in which I have always lived.”

Lifeboat Operations Manager in Lyme Regis, Rob Fossett said: “We are delighted to have Ritchie confirmed as an operational crew member.  “He has been a very enthusiastic helper, but now it’s official – he is a fully fledged member of the team.”

THE former head of Human Resources for Westland of Yeovil, later to become AgustaWestland, has taken on the role of volunteer treasurer to the RNLI lifeboat station in Lyme Regis.

John Dover, 61, who has lived in Lyme Regis with his wife Jan for the past nine years, spent 40 years with the helicopter manufacturer and was responsible for some 10,500 employees.  Towards the latter years of his career John was based in north west Milan as his role took on an international flavour involving staff in Italy, the UK and the U.S.

He took on the treasurer task with the RNLI after meeting the previous incumbent, Mark Houghton, who recently moved to Cheshire for family reasons.  A keen football fan, John is director of the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust whose aims are to encourage youngsters in sporting activity. The Trust is supported by AgustaWestland.  Said John: “We are now settled in Lyme and since I believe the RNLI is a first class charity I thought I would do what I could to support it.”

STAFF at the Bridport branch of Howdens Joinery did some joined up thinking when they had to decide what to do with a £250 gift destined for a local charity.  They chose the RNLI, and specifically the RNLI in Lyme Regis. Manager Kevin Lacey also chose who should receive the cheque…one of his customers, carpenter Mark Colley, who just happens to be a volunteer helmsman on the RNLI’s Lyme Regis lifeboat,  Pearl of Dorset..   Kevin said: “We all felt the RNLI should have the cheque.  It’s a first class local charity – and, living on the coast, you never know when you might need their help.”

The man who has controlled the purse strings for the RNLI’s lifeboat team in Lyme Regis for the past six years is leaving the area.  Mark Houghton, 47, is leaving Rousdon for Wilmslow, Cheshire, for family reasons.  He, his wife, Marie-Elaine and their pet dog, Ruby are giving up their landscaping/nursery business.

Mark joined the lifeboat as station treasurer and a member of the shore crew, and is qualified in first aid and radio communications.  “I shall miss my voluntary work with the RNLI very much, and particularly the camaraderie with all the other crew members,” said Mark.  Before moving to Rousdon, Mark was chairman of the RNLI Guild at Shepperton, Middlesex.

Three RNLI lifeguards who are paddleboarding 50 miles around the south west coast will be demonstrating their skills in Lyme Regis on Sunday September the 21^st.  The lifeguards, Rob Inett, 26, Rory Smith, 22, and James Fletcher, 26, have taken annual leave from their jobs to raise funds and awareness for the RNLI’s Life First campaign as well as promoting water safety.

They are visiting lifeguard units, lifeboat stations and life saving clubs on their tour of the south west.  The three men are using a custom-built paddle board, the only one of its type in the UK.  The board is 22’ 6” long (7m) and is fitted with water speed and temperature sensors, GPS and hand-held VHF communications.  Last year the board was paddled by Rob and James over 100km during a three week water safety promotional tour across the UK.

A sponsored cycle and swim by a group from Bristol resulted in a bumper cheque for the RNLI at Lyme Regis at the weekend.  Back in May the cyclists and swimmers rode 75 miles from Bristol to the RNLI lifeboat station in Lyme Regis and then swam a mile in the sea at Seaton.

Leader of the group – who are members of the Bristol district of the Woodcraft organisation for young people – John Kendall said “A few of us have plenty of reason to be grateful to the RNLI so we thought the charity should benefit from our efforts.”  John, from Robertson Road, Bristol, and his team raised a total of £900, half of which went to the RNLi and half to the Devon Air Ambulance.

If you asked most young ladies what they would like for their 16^th birthday they may wish to discuss clothing, shoes, jewellery perhaps….

Not so Ashleigh Rice from Lyme Regis, who held her party at the town’s Woodmead Halls.  Ashleigh announced that she did not want ANY presents but asked instead for donations to the RNLI lifeboat  in Lyme Regis.  “I just wanted to show my gratitude to the RNLI ,” said Ashleigh, “and to thank everyone for all the help they have given me.”

Ashleigh is one of four youngsters working for their Duke of Edinburgh awards at the lifeboat station and her dad, Andrew, is a long serving crew member.  Ashleigh’s birthday collection raised £90 which she presented to the lifeboat station over Bank Holiday weekend.

The end of Lyme Regis Lifeboat Week was marked by the town’s mayor Cllr Sally Holman when she told organisers on Saturday, August the 2nd “You have all showed tremendous teamwork, and I thank you on behalf of the town.”  Speaking at a presentation at the lifeboat station, Cllr Holman said “Everyone involved in putting the week together has demonstrated great professionalism, tremendous spirit and you have provided entertainment for hundreds of people.”

A number of presentations were made to contributors to the week’s success, among them Rob Michael, chairman of the RNLI Guild and harbourmaster Mike Poupard and his deputy Mike Higgs.  RNLI lifeboat crewman Martin Croad presented flower arrangements to the mayor and her mayoress Jane Whittington.

Amid the many dramatic demonstrations staged during Lifeboat Week’s Emergency Services Day was one which did not, perhaps, get the pulses racing quite so frantically.  As the Lyme Regis RNLI lifeboat, Pearl of Dorset, returned to harbour after a major demonstration with Weymouth’s all weather lifeboat, the shout went up “Please rescue my flip flop.!”

Holidaymaker Miss Marina Chignell-Stapleton, staying in Charmouth, had lost an expensive, fashionable flip flop in the sea by the north wall of the harbour. 

Lifeboat Operations Manager Rob Fossett did not hesitate. The lifeboat was diverted to the north wall, lifeboatman Andrew Rice went over the side and the fashion icon was retrieved and returned to its owner.  Miss Chignell-Stapleton said “I am delighted to get my flip flop back, the lifeboat crew were magnificent and I will certainly make a donation to the RNLI.”

Staff from the Dorset Works Organisation the contracts arm of Dorset County Council ran half a marathon to raise £1,000 for the RNLI’s lifeboat crew in Lyme Regis.  Members of the team delivered the king-sized cheque on Tuesday the 24^th of June and requested the money is used to boost the training kitty of the Lyme Regis life-savers.

Jan Hawkins, who presented the cheque to Duty Launch Authority Garry Gibbs, said “We are very much a Dorset organisation, and the Lyme Regis lifeboat is a vital part of our county’s life.  We wanted to make a contribution to the RNLI’s work in Dorset.”  The Dorset Works Organisation, based in Charminster, is heavily involved in the maintenance of the county’s highways.

Two brothers, who between them have served the RNLI’s lifeboat in Lyme Regis for more than 40 years, have been honoured by the life-saving charity.  James and Andrew Rice each received the RNLI’s long service badge during a special presentation evening on Friday the 6th of  June at the town’s Powerboat Club.

James, a paramedic when he is not on lifeboat duty, joined the crew in 1986.  He is a helmsman and also the vessel’s mechanic.

Brother Andrew, a Lyme Regis postman, who became a crew member in 1988,  first joined as a shore helper and tractor driver when regulations restricted spectacle-wearers from going to sea.  The rule later changed and Andrew then qualified as sea-going crew.

Three former crew members who served the lifeboat for many years were presented with framed letters of gratitude from the RNLI’s chief executive.  They are John Bowditch, who was the tractor driver, a role vital to the safe launching and recovery of the lifeboat; Giffard Harrison, a sea-going crew member whose job as an airline captain prevented him from regular lifeboat duty, and Luke Wason, a professional fisherman, who moved out of the area.  Giffard was on airline duty and his award was received by the lifeboat’s medical adviser, Dr. Forbes Watson, and Luke’s letter was collected by his father Paul.

All the awards were presented by Divisional Lifeboat Inspector Simon Pryce.

A former newspaper and broadcast journalist has taken on the role as volunteer  press officer to the RNLI lifeboat station in Lyme Regis.  Richard Horobin, who moved from Hampshire a year ago, worked in local and regional newspapers before joining BBC TV at Pebble Mill in Birmingham.  He left the Midlands in 1981 to become Editor of BBC TV South in Southampton, responsible for news output including the nightly programme South Today. After 24 years with the BBC he became head of Media Services at Hampshire Constabulary.

Richard takes over from Andrew Kaye who was lifeboat press officer for seven years.  Andrew is not leaving the station and is taking on the important job of archivist, keeping detailed records of the RNLI’s work in Lyme Regis.  Richard said: “Andrew’s will be a difficult act to follow, but I will do my best to keep the local media in particular fully informed of  the dedicated work carried out by the RNLI volunteers in Lyme Regis.”

Lifeboat Operations Manager Rob Fossett said:”I am very happy to have Richard as a member of our small team in Lyme Regis and as part of the wider family with the RNLI.  “I am also delighted we are not losing touch with Andrew who has given tremendous service over the years.

Joan and Mike Leeming, who have recently stepped down from managing the RNLI shop adjoining the lifeboat station in Lyme Regis, have been presented with a  signed photograph of the inshore lifeboat by the crew, as a special ‘thank you’ for their dedication to the task.

At the presentation ceremony on the lifeboat slipway, Rob Fossett, lifeboat operations manager, said that Joan and Mike had not only safely steered the shop through the difficult period of computerisation, but had, during their seven years in the driving seat, increased sales to the extent that the Lyme Regis RNLI shop was now the third most profitable in the UK.

“This was an amazing feat,” said Rob. “and the crew felt that this, combined with their friendly and dedicated involvement down on The Cobb, should to be marked in some way. We shall miss them at the helm.”

Members of the Easton Woodcraft Youth Group and Bristol Penguins Olympic Swimming Club cycled from Bristol to Lyme Regis at the weekend to raise money for both the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the Devon Air Ambulance.  When they arrived at Lyme Regis Lifeboat Station on Saturday the 3^rd of May 2008 after their gruelling 75-mile ride, they were greeted by members of the crew and friends from Seaton who were also raising money for the fundraising group.

“We lost one cyclist on the way due to an injury to their knee,” said organiser John Kendall, “but we are delighted to have achieved our goal in an effort to raise much-needed money for these two worthy causes.”  Lifeboat helmsman Rob Crabbe, who was one of the welcoming committee had nothing but praise for the cyclists: “I was not surprised they looked so exhausted when they arrived at the station and we cannot thank them enough for their wonderful efforts on our behalf.”

Five months after his wrist was badly broken during a rescue, Martin Croad (28) has been given the all-clear to return to sea duties by Royal National Lifeboat Institution doctors.  “It has been a frustrating five months away from the lifeboat,” said Mr. Croad. “It was a bad break which required pins and a plate being inserted in my wrist, but I have just passed all the tests and am now fit and strong enough to go to sea when the call comes.”

Mr. Croad, who works for a local builder, was injured when he tried to stop the man the crew had just rescued from a small rowing dinghy from being injured when the lifeboat encountered a rogue wave only 100 metres outside the entrance to the Cobb Harbour. “It was pretty painful at the time and I was off work for over four months,” said Mr. Croad, “but in the lifeboat service, you have to take the rough with the smooth. That day it was particularly rough! I am glad to be back.”

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is looking for a new lifeboat press officer for the Lyme Regis lifeboat station to replace Andrew Kaye, who is retiring from the volunteer job at the end of May.  “It has been a wonderful seven years,” said Andrew, “but I am now 62 years of age and the time has come for me to slip into a less active role at the station, leaving the way open for someone who can bring a bit more energy to the role!”

According to Lyme Regis lifeboat operations manager Rob Fossett, the job of lifeboat press officer is to maximise publicity in the local area for the RNLI generally, but more specifically for the town’s own lifeboat and crew: “The RNLI is a charity and must raise £120 million every year to maintain its current level of service,” said Rob, “and so it is vital people are made aware of the rescues carried out by our local lifeboat crew - and put their hands in their pockets the next time they see an RNLI collection box! It is the job of the lifeboat press officer to make certain that everyone knows when and why our lifeboat has been launched and the wonderful job done by her volunteer crew.”

The job of LPO entails responding when his or her pager is set off and telling the local media about a rescue – usually after it is successfully concluded. Opportunities must also be sought to maximise publicity for events that involve the station and station personnel. “It is an important job,” continued Rob, “and training in the art of communicating with the media will be given by the RNLI. Being computer literate and able to use a camera are distinct advantages. There are many personal benefits in being LPO, top of the list must be total involvement in the station and the wonderful camaraderie to be found there."

The annual Christmas Day Swim, organised by Carol and Jeff Prosser, landlords of the Royal Oak public house, Charmouth, raised a massive £2,106.00 for the RNLI.  Carol presented a giant cheque to delighted members of the Lyme Regis Lifeboat Crew on Wednesday the 12^th of March 2008.  Also during the years that the Prossers have been landlords of the Royal Oak, they have raised over £27,000 for the RNLI.  It is a wonderful achievement, and, once again, our thanks go to them and also the 80 slightly crazy people who braved the freezing waters wearing all kinds of fancy dress on Christmas morning, not forgetting the 800 spectators and sponsors.

The RNLI depends entirely on voluntary contributions, and without such generosity, the organisation would not be able to raise the £122 million needed this year to maintain the current level of service.

The Lyme Regis lifeboat station is holding a Family BBQ for its members, partners and their children on Saturday 15 September and, because this year is the 40^th Anniversary of the re-opening of a lifeboat station in the town, the current crew are keen to invite former members of the station to the event, which starts at 3.00pm in the boathouse.

“The problem is that sadly, we have lost touch with many former lifeboat crew and we have no easy way of contacting them to pass on a personal invitation,” said Rob Fossett, lifeboat operations manager in Lyme Regis. “We would like to see as many former members of the crew as possible, but as far as catering goes, we need to know the numbers attending in advance. If they could just pop a note, addressed to me, saying they would like to come, through the station’s letterbox, then we will welcome them back with open arms and a drink on the day!”

The first lifeboat was operated in Lyme Regis in 1826, but the station closed in 1932 when it was believed that the motorised lifeboats in Weymouth and Exmouth could cover the area. A Royal Air Force Marine Craft Unit operated fast patrol and safety launches from the town between 1937 and 1964. In 1967 the RNLI again thought a lifeboat station was necessary for the town and a new boathouse was built by voluntary labour in three weeks!

As a long-standing member of the Lyme Regis lifeboat crew, Andrew Rice, together with his wife Tanya, has been invited to attend one of Her Majesty the Queen’s garden parties at Buckingham Palace.  The Lyme Regis couple will meet up with other lifeboat crew and their wives who will also be attending the event on Tuesday 10 July.

Andrew, who is a postman during the day and a member of the boat crew and tractor driver when his pager is set off, said that he is honoured to have been selected to represent the RNLI: “I will also be representing all my friends at the lifeboat station, however, when Tanya and I go to the Palace. I can only assume that my 20-year’s service with the Lyme Regis lifeboat was the reason I was selected for the honour by RNLI headquarters,” he said.

Three students seeking their bronze Duke of Edinburgh Awards have joined the Lyme Regis RNLI lifeboat station for six months to cover the required ‘service’ element of the award.  Grace Wadsworth (15), Richie Durrant (15) and Ollie Rice (14) are students at Woodroffe School in Lyme Regis and are all related to various members of the crew.  Grace’s father Tim is a member of the lifeboat crew, Ollie’s father James is a helmsman and the lifeboat mechanic, whilst Richie’s uncles Brian and Dave Street are both helmsmen. Other students seeking the same award are doing their ‘service’ various organisations around the town including the fire brigade, working in old peoples homes, carrying out sundry community services and even beach cleaning.

“They have to do 15 to 30 hours work within the local community to complete the ‘service’ aspect of the award,” said Lyme Regis lifeboat operations manager Rob Fossett. “These three have chosen the lifeboat and while they are with us they will look at what the lifeboat does, how we operate, learn about our personal protection equipment, how the lifeboat is launched and recovered, the equipment it carries and the crew training we undertake on land and at sea.   “They will also become involved with the fundraising side of the RNLI by helping out during our Lifeboat Week in July. By the end of the summer they will have assisted in pretty well all of the activities at our lifeboat station,” concluded Rob.

Last year, the Christmas Day Swim, organised by Carol and Jeff Prosser, landlords of the Royal Oak public house in Charmouth, raised a record £3,711 for the RNLI.

The previous year’s swim raised £2,550 and Carol said that the significant increase this year was due to a couple of large donations: “We hope to do even better next Christmas by getting the sponsorship forms out earlier.”

She presented a giant cheque to delighted crew members of the Lyme Regis lifeboat on Wednesday evening.

During the years that the Prossers have been landlords of the Royal Oak, they have raised nearly £25,000 for the RNLI.  It is a massive achievement, and our thanks go to them and also the hardy and selfless characters who take to the freezing waters wearing all kinds of fancy dress on Christmas morning, when they could be at home in the warm opening their presents!  This year the RNLI, which depends entirely on voluntary contributions, needs to raise over £120 million to maintain the current level of service.