Redcar RNLI bid farewell to Stan
It was a sad occasion for the volunteers of the Redcar RNLI lifeboat station on Friday 16 December 2016 as they said “farewell” to Stan Layton, a boathouse attendant at Redcar for many years, who passed away on 2 December 2016.
Stan was a popular face at the lifeboat station in the 1990s and 2000s and was always there for the crew with a fresh brew of tea when they returned from rescues and training.
Stan’s coffin was brought to the lifeboat station and as a mark of respect for Stan and everything he did for them, the crew formed a guard of honour and raised a cup of tea as the cortege passed by the station.
The crew then formed a guard of honour as the coffin was brought into St Hilda’s Chapel at the Acklam Crematorium, Middlesbrough.
Stan Layton died after a long illness in the early hours of Friday 2 December 2016, just moments after celebrating his 82nd birthday with his family.
Stan joined the Redcar lifeboat station in the late 1980s as a boathouse attendant, opening the station for visitors.
Stan became more and more involved with the day-to-day activities, helping with stores deliveries, fetching fuel for the lifeboats from a nearby garage and making teas for the crews when they returned from rescues and training launches.
Stan did not have good health and had to retire from his volunteer roles in 2008. To mark his retirement, in December 2008 Stan was made an honorary crew member. He was presented with a special certificate by Redcar RNLI branch chairman, Ian Readman, to mark the occasion.
At the time, Ian Readman said: ‘Stan has been as dedicated to the RNLI as any of our volunteer crew. Come hail, rain or shine, the guys could always rely on him presenting them with a welcomed brew of tea at the end of a cold mission at sea.’
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- Image show the Redcar RNLI crew presenting a cup of tea as the coffin of Stan Layton is brought past the lifeboat station. Credit RNLI/Steve Fordham
- Images show Stan Layton being presented with his Honorary Crew Member certificate in December 2008 by Ian Readman, Redcar RNLI branch chairman. Credit: RNLI/Dave Cocks
- Redcar lifeboat station has been operating since 1802
- Redcar currently operates a B-class lifeboat named Leicester Challenge III, paid for by the people of Leicester, and an IB1-class lifeboat named Eileen May Loach-Thomas, paid from the legacy of the late Nicolas Thomas of Shropshire
- For more news, information and images go to www.redcarlifeboat.org.uk
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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 146,000 lives.
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