What’s occurring? Ruth Jones and the RNLI

‘I lived by the sea all the years I was growing up. My family still live in Porthcawl, my mum’s there, my brothers and my sister,’ says Ruth, whose brother-in-law is on the crew at Porthcawl. ‘Because the sea is there on our doorstep, we know the importance of safety. It’s an incredibly important, vital organisation but it also plays a huge part in the community.

‘When my father died, because my dad had been a supporter of the RNLI, they lowered the flag to half-mast, and they did the same with my dad’s friend when he died. And it’s that sort of thing that I just think shows what a massive part of the community the RNLI is.’

Pushing the boat out

In 2016, after the success of Gavin & Stacey, Ruth organised a special Porthcawl RNLI fundraising event – which she hosted in character as the iconic Nessa Jenkins. Nessa and Friends Push the Boat Out for the RNLI was held at the Grand Pavilion in Porthcawl and raised around £18,000. 

Here’s a clip from our 200 Voices podcast, where Ruth talks about the fundraiser (and her surprise guest!):

Ruth also gave a nod to Barry Dock RNLI in the 2019 Gavin & Stacey Christmas special, which was enjoyed by over 11.5 million viewers on Christmas Day. Her character Nessa announced that she was on duty for the lifeboat on New Year's Eve.

‘It’s like an old friend’

‘I've found now that if I go somewhere, me and my mum often go on a little trip around Wales, and she and I both get excited when we see the RNLI station like it’s an old friend, like you know you’ve got a friend in every port as it were,’ says Ruth. ‘There’s something really comforting about it – about knowing it’s there.’