Top cancer surgeon joins Lyme Regis RNLI crew
A leading cancer surgeon has joined the volunteer crew of the RNLI lifeboat in Lyme Regis.
Mr Ken Lavery, a retired head and neck surgeon, has joined the Lyme Regis team as a Deputy Launching Authority (DLA).
Mr Lavery, 67, who recently retired as lead surgeon and Medical Director at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, is married to Krys who manages the team of volunteers running the successful RNLI charity shop on the Cobb next to the lifeboat station.
They met at the hospital where Krys was a senior ward sister and have two sons.
Scots-born Mr Lavery is a qualified Yachtmaster and has strong family connections with the RNLI. Both his grandfather and great grandfather were volunteers with the lifeboat at Campbeltown, covering the Mull of Kintyre.
Mr Lavery said:" I am thoroughly enjoying my involvement with the lifeboat crew in Lyme Regis.
"They are clearly a dedicated team, and the camaraderie is very similar to that which I found when I was involved in rugby."
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 146,000 lives.
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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
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